Stranger Than Fiction
by Neko Kate-chan
Summary: [RikuxSora] [AU] Sora doesn't expect the new kid at school to be cocky, nor does he expect him to have an attitude bigger than the Empire State building. What happens when fate throws an arrogant citytough kid with a gentle rich boy? REVISED FOR UPDATE
1. Silver Demon

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Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter One:

Silver Demon

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Author's Note:

This fic differs completely to it's cousin, Heartagram. Although there is still the same underlying fluff I always write, now there's more of a… real life?… take on love. There are no fantastical magick or wondrous miracles…

Riku is portrayed as a little mean, cold, willing to go for a ride, whereas before I've always played him as a misunderstood hero who's lost in a hell he has accidentally created for himself.

Sora has a slightly… Darker side. He's vulnerable, he's just a kid who's trying to protect those he loves. Sora is no longer the almighty hero, which is another character he seems destined to play.

I played about with the characters a little. I gave them brothers, sisters, obscure links to each other, and created friendships that perhaps haven't been created before.

I also wondered why it's always Riku's parents who are evil… I have decided, that in order to flesh Sora out a little, it will in fact be poor ickle Sora with the evil parents, and Riku's mom will be as loving as hell.

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Warning:

In case you haven't noticed, this is a shounen-ai/yaoi pairing. Those are nice Japanese words used to describe homosexual relationships, which are male/male.

There will be no lemon. I don't believe a story like Kingdom Hearts, needs it. Also I don't like to think that if ever my computer needed repairing, that the men in the repair shop were reading a lot of erotic literature.

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Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own very much. In fact, if you added up my net value it would come to the cost of selling all my internal organs. Like I said, not that much…

* * *

Sora turned to his alarm clock, taking in the time and groaning. He hit the button on the top, accidentally knocking it on the floor. Glad that the noise had stopped, Sora turned over, happy to go back to sleep.

"Sora! Sora! Sora! Wake up! Wake up! First day of the school year! Wake up! Wake up!" Sora's hyperactive sister yelled, jumping on his bed and sitting on his legs. She grinned down at him, no doubt she'd already had at least twenty sugar cubes that morning.

"Okay, Selph, okay! I'm up! I'm up!" Sora laughed helplessly, as his sister got off him, standing beside his bed, rocking on her heels.

"Aren't you excited? You'll get to see all your friends that you haven't seen through the holiday. I bet there's so much gossip! I heard Kairi got with another guy, can't remember his name though. I wonder who my teacher will be this year? I wonder what-" Selphie rambled. Sora switched off; he often did when his sister began to talk like that.

The first day of school… How could he have forgotten? The bane of his existence had to start again eventually. Not that Sora didn't like school; he loved it; he loved learning and hanging around with his friends... What Sora didn't like was the fact he was stalked. Yes, that's right, stalked. Many girls thought Sora was a hot catch. Between himself and his best friend Cloud, they had enough fan girls to fill up a basketball court.

The end of year dance last year had been quite awkward, so Sora had just refused to go with anyone except his sister. Not that Selphie had minded of course. It had been a little awkward though, when Cloud revealed he had been supposed to be going with Selphie as well.

"Sora? Are you listening to me?" Selphie demanded, drawing herself up and putting on a comical look of frustration. Sora chuckled, and ruffled her hair, making her pout and try to rearrange it into the cute 'flicky' style she so adored. Even though Selphie was only a year younger than him she was a good foot smaller, and that was the one thing that Sora loved to tease her about.

"Of course not. When have I ever listened to you?" Sora asked. Selphie grinned and pulled her big brother into a hug.

"Thanks for pretending to listen. I like talking to you Sora. I feel I can trust you, even if you are evil sometimes. Thanks for listening," She then skipped off to get ready. Sora smiled after her, glad that she thought so highly of him. Most people would find it strange for brother and sister to get on so well, but Sora and Selphie had learned from a very early age that it was better to be united against a common cause than to be alone.

That 'common cause' was their parents. Usually holidays and weekends were the high-points of a teenager's life. Well, Selphie got away with it sometimes but Sora… Sora was the heir to a fortune, and was more of an item than a person.He would have to be a good boy and listen to what his mother's friend's daughters had to say, and he'd have to spend hour after hour alone in his room. He wasn't allowed to leave the house or mix with those commoners. It was enough to make both Sora and Selphie hate them with a passion. There wasn't much that they could do about it, except occasionally plan to run away. Even then, they chickened out at the last minute and ended up running back inside.

"Sora! Get ready! You can't be late for school!" Selphie yelled from her room. Sora wandered into his bathroom, turning on the shower and getting in. He wasn't sure why his parents sent him to Ardara High. It was hardly as though they approved of it… Sora assumed it was because the only private school for miles around would have meant him flying to school on the mainland, which wasn't going to come cheap by anyone's standards.

"Sora! C'mon!" Selphie yelled, stepping out of her room fully dressed. Sora grinned, diving into his room to hide his hushed 'Aw!'. His sister was cute, and he thought that without incest. She was wearing a little yellow sundress and boots that made her look even smaller. She'd forced her hair into bunches that stuck out the sides of her head and had put little bows around them, made from yellow ribbon. The effect was a surprising, and wrong, impression of sweetness and innocence. Sure, Selphie was naïve, but innocent she was not. She knew as well as any other fifteen-year-old the ways of life. More than most probably.

Well, that's what happens when you learn the facts of life from an older brother, Sora supposed.

After getting over his little fuzzy fit over how adorable and wonderful his sister could be, Sora realised that it was ten to eight and he was still not ready. In five minutes, Cloud would be waiting for him, getting gradually more and more pissed off at the two of them for 'being late on the first day of school'. Sometimes Cloud could be a little bit parental...

Rushing around his room, Sora pulled on the first thing he found. It was a jump suit, red and white with silver lining on the sleeves. Biting his lip, he pulled it on. So what if it was a little weird to wear to school, he liked it… Pulling on his chain, a chunky silver chain with a crown on the end of it, Sora looked at himself in the mirror. He then ran into the bathroom to finish getting ready and try to get his hair to lie flat.

* * *

Cloud sat waiting for Sora. They met in the park everyday on the way to school, always on this bench, always at this time. And Sora was always late. Cloud wasn't sure if it was Sora's fault or Selphie's but the two would always work together to confuse Cloud so much that he didn't bother to even ask anymore.

"Cloud! Sorry we're late!" Sora yelled, waving and running over. Cloud raised a single eyebrow, as if to say 'you should be' but the look remained unnoticed by Sora and Selphie, who were slightly red in the face.

"What the hell took you so long?" Cloud asked the routine question.

"Sora's daydreaming!" Selphie chirped happily. Sora frowned at his little sister and then pouted.

"Yeah, whatever. I got ready faster than you did!" Sora protested. Cloud looked at Sora properly, the first time he had that morning. He then realised, with a little bit of a shock, that Sora was wearing his old jump suit. Sora had never worn that thing to school before, no matter how Cloud and Selphie had tried to get him to. He had always said it was too 'babyish' for school, but here he was, wearing it…

"See something you like?" Sora asked, chuckling at Cloud's slightly gormless stare. Cloud looked away, stony mask set in place.

"You're wearing your jump suit. You never wear that in public," The blonde said, changing the subject completely. Sora bit his lip.

"I had to get ready in a hurry this morning… I know that everyone thinks that you are what you wear but…" Sora trailed off. Cloud smirked.

"We already knew you were a big baby Sora..." He said, before running off, knowing that Sora would try to kick his ass.

* * *

Leon surveyed the corridor with distaste. He knew schools like this well. They were the schools that kids who just missed grammar schools went to. They were full of stuck up snobs.

He glanced at his little brother, who was also stood outside the Principal's office, leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and not caring about the looks he was getting.

Yeah, Riku looked the height of cool. His flowing silver hair held back in a ponytail down his back, little wisps of hair framing his face in a way that no professional hairdresser could ever hope to achieve. His pale face was the perfect expression of calm, it was probably more likely to be described as 'stony', as he didn't even flinch when someone ran past him, the draft as they went passed ruffling his hair.

Leon smirked, walked around his little brother, standing in the middle of the corridor, getting ready to scare him.

"I know you're there, Leon, don't even try," Riku said, without opening his eyes. Leon laughed and crossed his arms.

"How the hell do you do that?" He asked. Riku shrugged, finally opening his eyes and watching Leon with those strange aqua-green eyes.

"I just do," He replied and didn't say anything else. Leon smirked and tilted his head.

"Hey! Get out the way!" A voice yelled as a blonde haired boy crashed into him, sending them both hurtling to the floor, tangled together. The blonde boy, surprisingly fast, wormed weasel like to escape the inevitable fall, but ended up simply cushioning the Leon's fall for him.

"I can't believe you fell over!" A spiky haired brunet rounded the corner, then doubled up laughing. Leon stared down at the blonde, trapped underneath his weight.

The boy was perhaps a year younger than he was, but his eyes told him that this was no stupid little rich kid. His face held lines that couldn't possibly have been laughter lines. He looked vaguely dazed and a little annoyed at being on the floor, crushed under some random stranger who was gawking at him. Shaking himself, Leon got up, stepped away as the boy got to his feet. The brunet was now leaning against the wall, clutching his sides.

"That'll teach you for calling me a baby! Klutzy Cloud strikes again!" The spiked hair boy tried to look imposing, but his face was far too round and good-natured for any such pose to have been effective.

"Shut up, Sora. You're the one in the jump suit remember," The boy, "Cloud" said. Leon looked at Riku, who was studying the brunet with distaste.

"Yeah, but I'm cute so I get away with it. You're just clumsy!" Sora jabbed his thumb into his chest. Cloud clenched his fists.

"Yeah, well you hadn't been late, you wouldn't be wearing a damn jump suit and wouldn't look like a baby, would you?" Cloud's eyes were burning with some kind of embarrassed rage. Leon looked between the two warring friends, before looking to Riku and a newcomer, a girl who was most definitely related to Sora.

"Hey! I'm not a baby!" Sora protested.

"Well, you both sound like children to me."

That stopped the argument there. The two rounded on Riku, who was still leaning against the wall, watching them both as though they were ugly mongrels. That look was well practised…

Leon cringed. If Riku was going to take an instant dislike to these two, then there was no hope already. His little brother was ruthless and was very good at holding grudges.

"Excuse me?" Sora stared at Riku with a little tinge of disbelief. Leon stepped back out of the limelight to assess the situation. They were outside the Principal's office. There was no way they'd get away with fighting here.

"You heard me," Riku replied, his voice even. Leon took a few steps forward.

"Leave it, Riku," He warned as the door of the office opened. He glanced over his shoulder and then at his brother. Riku shrugged and walked into the office.With an apologetic glance, Leon followed him into the office.

* * *

Riku followed the secretary into the classroom, immediately looking for a space at the back. His eyes searched until they met a pair of cerulean ones, the only one's viewing him without curiosity.

"Hello class, this is Riku Leonhart. He's a new student to our school. Riku, would you like to say hello and tell us all about yourself?" The teacher asked. She was nice, and looked sweet. Riku forced down the urge to say 'no'.

"Like she said, my name's Riku. I moved here from New York three weeks ago. My mom's… work… required us to move here, so we did. That's it really," Riku shrugged. The teacher beamed at him and then turned to the class.

"Now, who would like to be Riku's tour guide for the week?" She asked. Almost every hand went up. She turned to Riku.

"Would you like to decide dear?" She asked. Riku looked around, finally finding the blue eyed, spiky haired wonder, one of the only ones with his hands down.

"Well, I already know Sora, so I guess he should show me around," Riku's lips curled upwards in a malicious smirk. Sora looked outraged and seemed about to argue when an auburn haired girl beside him kicked him under the table.

"Then it's settled," The teacher said brightly. Riku walked to the back of the room and sat down in a newly vacated seat beside Sora. There was immediately an almost synchronised turn of heads to the back of the room.

Riku took in Sora, and his friends, with a quick glance. One was the dumb blonde who had run into Leon that morning… What had his name been again? Rainbow? Sunshine? Cloud, that was it. Then there was that girl with the auburn hair, who was staring at Riku, her expression a little strange. It was an admiring stare, Riku realised with a little amount of dread. How to turn the girl down?

The bell went, signalling the end of registration. Sora stood up, slinging his bag onto his shoulders and waiting for Riku to pick up his bag and follow the rest of the class. Riku inwardly smiled when he saw the brunet's murderous glance and impatient stance, taking as long as he possibly could before reaching where Sora was standing.

"Took your time…" Sora growled, before walking off into the corridor. Riku followed him, weaving in and out of the students, in silence. Neither of the two had anything to say to each other.

Riku briefly wondered why in hell's name he had bothered to pick Sora, when there had been far more sociable and willing volunteers available. Perhaps it was because he wanted to piss the boy off, or perhaps it was for another reason that Riku wasn't quite willing to even think yet.

"So, where is your lesson?" Sora asked. Riku pulled out his timetable, looking down at it.

"I have English Literature, with a Mr. Kikuta," Riku told him. Sora bit his bottom lip.

"Ah, I'll be late for my English class. C'mon, I'll show you where you are," Although Sora said it icily and with a trace of bitterness, Riku was slightly surprised that Sora would go out of his way for someone who had obviously proved to him within an hour of their first meeting, that he was going to make his life a living hell.

"The last room on the left. Mr. Kikuta is a hard teacher to please. You better get in there, he gets annoyed with late comers," With that departing sentence, Sora disappeared into the crowded hallway.

"Have a nice day," Riku called after him. There was no reply, and a few people gave Riku strange looks, but true to his nature, Riku ignored them, heading for his English class.

* * *

Riku looked up from his book. They were supposed to be reading chapter one of Lord of The Flies, but he'd already read the entire book, and re-reading it was boring. Staring around, he finally noticed a girl trying to get his attention. She was the same girl as earlier, the one with auburn hair. She was friends with Sora, no doubt his girlfriend or such like. Riku seized another opportunity to make Sora mad.

He ripped a page out of his notebook, coughing as he did so to hide the noise of ripping paper, and laid it out on the desk, scribbling down a note quickly.

Hey. I've noticed you're looking at me, what's the matter? I got something on my face?

Riku grinned and folded it up, waiting until the teacher was absorbed in marking test papers to throw the note across the classroom. It landed squarely on the girl's desk, where she blinked at it for a second, before looking up to see who'd thrown it. Riku smirked at her.

She blushed and opened the note, turning an even deeper shade of scarlet. She grabbed her pen, which looked suspiciously like it was pink inked, and began to write a reply. Riku looked like he was reading, trying hard not to give away anything when the teacher looked up.

Mr. Kikuta looked around for a moment, decided that the class was indeed reading, and returned to writing 'F' and adding lots of red pen to student's work. Riku chuckled slightly, wondering how such an old codger became a teacher.

He felt a light thud against his head, and stared down at a note that now lay in his lap. The auburn haired girl was giggling silently, looking slightly guilty. Riku smiled at her, a smile that was fake but could melt the heart of anyone.

Hey. No, you don't have anything on your face. If you haven't noticed, you're quite attractive. My name's Kairi by the way. You're Riku right? You didn't hit it off quite so well with Sora and Cloud…

Riku frowned, why did she bring those two clowns into it? He was flattered she found him attractive, but at the same time, she mentioned Sora and Cloud, two people who she knew Riku had fallen out with on the first day of school. She was either incredibly clever and up to something, or incredibly stupid and putting her foot in it. Either way, whatever Riku replied would be analysed, no doubt.

So, you and Sora an item? Or you and Cloud? You said I was attractive, but that doesn't mean shit if you're with someone else.

Riku was quite proud with his answer. He didn't sound uncertain, more assertive than he would have liked, but if he managed to get Kairi, presumably one of Sora's best friends, then the boy would surely be riled.

Kairi felt the note hit her head, and looked up from her book, her expression puzzled until she saw the scrap of paper. She mock-scowled at Riku, before unfolding it and reading it.To Riku's surprise she giggled and began to scribble a reply immediately.

No, I'm single. I'm sure that even if Sora did like me in that way, he wouldn't go out with me. Let's say that I'm not Cloud's type and leave it there. I'm what people would call, a 'man-eater'. I just split with my boyfriend about… Forty-two hours ago and I really don't think I should be looking for another one just yet.

Riku stared at the note. Then he grinned, thinking of the perfect reply.

I have first dibs on you then, when you're ready of course.

She looked up after reading the note and nodded slowly. Mission completed, Riku got back to reading. When the bell went, he waited for Kairi outside the room, grabbing her wrist as she entered the corridor.

"You wouldn't have been looking for me, would you?" He asked. She pulled her hand out of his grasp, not angrily, and walked down the corridor, matching Riku's long strides with a little difficulty.

"So, you're Sora's best friend?" Riku asked. Kairi folded her arms around the folders she was carrying.

"Um… Well… Actually I'm his ex-girlfriend too. We've been best friends since we were little. Last year we went out for about six months, but there was no spark, so we both ended it on Valentines Day. We're better as friends than as lovers," Kairi said, his eyes slightly sad, as though she was looking back on happier times.

"Oh, I didn't mean to drag up the past," Riku apologised, inwardly cursing. So she and Sora would never be an item again? That would mean he'd just have to get Sora's back up by being there and having Kairi stick up for him.

It then came to Riku, why the hell was he trying to annoy this boy anyway? So what, Sora's best friend had run into Leon? Was that any excuse? Perhaps it was because Riku felt that he could truly like Sora, that he could become close friends with him, that made him push him away?

Whatever it was, Riku wasn't going to stop his little vendetta against the brunet until he'd won.

"It's okay. Most boys you look at have a history with me. I'm a bit of a hussy," Kairi laughed. Riku raised his eyebrows. What was this girl, some kind of siren?

Riku took her in for the first time. She was wearing trousers of a deep blue that hugged her hips and thighs until the knee, where they flared out. Her top was of the same royal blue, but was made from velvet, with flared sleeves. Black designs ran up the sleeves, snaking then around her back and torso to create an illusion that plants were growing around her.

"You don't look like a hussy. You look a little too innocent to me," Riku replied. She turned her bright blue eyes, not quite as wonderful as Sora's, to Riku.

"Innocent? Yeah, probably. You might not think it by looking at me, but I believe in sex after marriage. That's why I don't have many boyfriends for long," Kairi said quietly. Riku blinked at her, not because of what she had just said, that was perfectly believable, but because of what he'd just thought.

Sora had wonderful eyes? Where had that come from?

"What's wrong? You put off?" She asked. Riku shook his head, roused from his stupor.

"Sorry, I wasn't that shocked. I just had a weird thought. I have many, don't worry about it," Riku replied. Kairi just nodded, then waved at Sora, who had just wandered out of his English class, talking to Cloud animatedly, a huge grin plastered to his face.

"What lesson do you have now?" Kairi asked, as they hurried to catch up with Sora, who hadn't noticed them yet. Riku looked at the timetable he had stuffed into his pocket.

"History, it's with someone called… Er… E. Krammer," Riku puzzled that they had put an initial in, rather than the teacher's title.

"Oooh! You have her! She's the coolest teacher in the school. Her name's Edea! I wish I was so lucky, I have geography from a stupid ogre of a teacher!" Kairi was positively green. Riku looked down at his timetable again before folding it and placing it back in his pocket.

"Where's her room?" Riku asked. Kairi smiled.

"You'll be with Sora and Cloud in that lesson, so I'll drop you off with them!" She then ran up behind Sora, poking his sides and making him jump. Riku watched as Sora turned with rapid reflexes and wrapped his hands around her waist, picking her up and slinging her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift.

"Sora! Put me down!" She protested, banging her fists against the spiky haired boy's back. He laughed and spun around, students scattering so as not to get hit by Kairi's flailing fists.

"Fun's over, Kikuta's coming," Cloud warned in an undertone. Sora placed Kairi on her feet and then noticed Riku was there, watching. Riku quickly got his expression in check, making sure he didn't show any positive emotion on his face as he walked forwards.

"Apparently, I have history with you two losers," Riku said coldly. Kairi frowned at him, her cheeks still flushed from her little encounter with Sora.

"Yeah, well, it takes one to know one," Sora replied lightly, before hugging Kairi and glaring at Riku. Kairi fell behind and disappeared into a classroom, leaving Riku, Sora and Cloud alone.

"You suck at come backs," Riku replied, barely a second after Sora had finished his sentence.

"Well, at least I don't suck dick like you," Sora retorted. Cloud watched, and Riku realised that the blonde's expression hadn't changed at all during this exchange.

"Yeah, so what?" Riku asked, folding his arms. Sora stopped, mouth wide open, not knowing what to reply. Riku knew he'd won this round, and smugly smirked.

"Did you just admit you were homo?" Sora demanded. Riku glanced over at the boy.

"Why? You got a problem?" He replied. Sora shook his head violently, but when Riku began to laugh, his head snapped up.

"You are too much, Sora. Not only are you a big baby and a loser, you're gullible and naïve to boot. What a retard…" Riku laughed, walking into their history class and getting a seat as far away from Sora as possible.

He had come too close to revealing his secrets then…

* * *

Cloud watched the scene silently. Riku stood, smiling arrogantly at Kairi, who was flirting outrageously. She kissed him on the cheek as a goodbye, and Riku and his brother, Leon was it, walked away.

Cloud glanced at Sora, whose head was tilted to one side in a puzzled way.

"What does he have that I don't?" Sora demanded. Cloud let his lips turn upwards slightly.

"One hot ass body, scrawny boy," Cloud replied. Sora glared at Cloud.

"Not you too! Traitor!" Sora yelled playfully, pretending to be upset. Cloud shrugged, what could he say, Riku was hot.

"I never swore allegiance to you, o scrawny one," Cloud pretended to worship Sora with over-the-top arm gestures. Sora pouted.

"It's not fair, he's here for a day and already both you and Kairi like him… All I need now is for Selphie to start crushing on him and I'll know I'm surrounded by traitors…" Sora whined. Selphie bounced around the corner, and as if on cue said:

"Who's the hot new kid? He is so S-E-X-Y!"

* * *

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Ending Notes:

I know, there's a lot of weird connections to their names etc. in this chapter. Sorry. I also didn't expect Riku to be quite so evil, but he plays it so well! Kairi is played as a whore in this. Sorry if you like Kairi, not that I have a problem with her, but… Well, I don't bash her, but I don't like her either.

R&R

**Beta'd: 19/09/05 **


	2. The Fighting

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Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Two:

The Fighting

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Author's Note:

Hello. This is chapter two. Thank you for your reviews, you're all so nice. I want to make it clear that, while the characters may seem a little OOC, that's because of changes in their lives. In this world, although in the game Sora's mom was nice (or at least we can assume by the way Sora treated others) in this he's learned to be nice because he doesn't want to end up like his parents…

Riku is tough because of where he comes from. And also for another reason which you won't find out until next chapter…

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Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Sora's father, an imposing man of forty-six with greying hair and premature worry lines, demanded. Sora stared into his father's face defiantly, as Selphie cowered behind him.

"I went to the bookstore to get a book that we're going to be studying in my English class. Selphie came with me to see if they had her order in. You can ring them and check if you want," Sora replied icily. His father regarded him through his spectacles. Gucci of course.

"Don't take that tone with me you ungrateful bastard," He growled. Sora frowned, crossing his arms.

"That's funny. I thought bastards were people without fathers. Unless you're saying that you're nothing? In that case I wholly agree with you," Sora then tried to push past his father, the President of the Hikka Financial Empire, otherwise known as Hikka Internet Banking International.

"I'll teach you to answer back you little shit!" The man yelled, bringing his fist back. Sora backed off, pushing himself against a wall. He looked over his shoulder, not scared but trying to avoid the oncoming pain. It started with a back-fist across the face, throwing him across the room. Sora winced and rubbed his cheek. He saw Selphie hovering by the front door, her eyes wide, trembling in fear that her father might turn to her.

Sora glanced to the staircase and back to her. She took this as a sign and bolted up the stairs and into her room. Sora stood up, leaning on the wall for support as he looked up at his father.

His father… The monster didn't deserve children. Maybe he deserved Sora, the useless, dense, clumsy fool, but he didn't deserve Selphie, the bright, cheerful, pretty little girl who loved to play with her brother and brought sunshine to the lives of those around her. That was what Sora called her, Selphie Sunshine. When they were smaller and Sora would get beaten up, he would cheer her up by telling her stories of the magical Selphie Sunshine.

The stories eventually lost their glamour when Selphie began to get past the age when she believed them. When she had witnessed Sora getting beaten up, it had been she, no one else, who had come to his room and comforted him, made excuses for their parents, called him Silly Sora and made up a wacky tale. It seemed so long ago that they had been able to survive like that…

"I don't care what you do to me. I can't hate you more than I already do. I don't care if you beat me unconscious, at least then I won't have to put up with you're mindless controlling-" Sora was cut off by his mother's hand falling heavily on his shoulder. He looked at his mother, a woman who had been married to his father when she had been only sixteen, while he had been in his late twenties. It had been a marriage of convenience, rather than love. This meant that the two barely agreed on anything and were ill matched.

However, they shared one common despair, and that was Sora. His mother would pick out faults, his father would beat him into submission, and together they tried to pick their only son and eldest child apart. No matter how many psychologists they got in, none would ever find anything wrong with Sora, so his parents had decided it must be some kind of genetic disorder that made him like he was.

The truth was that to everyone else, Sora was a charming, cheerful boy, who liked comics, computer games, basketball and ice cream. To his parents he was an abomination, who was the bane of their existence, a son who challenged their authority, a child who fought back against the controlling hands of his parents. 

"Sora, you will not use such a tone with your father. He is older than you are and he is your role model in life. You should pay closer attention to him, maybe then you'll learn how to behave properly," His mother said, venom in her voice. Sora shrugged her hand off.

"I don't care how I should behave. This is how I am behaving. Sorry if you don't like it," Sora retorted, pulling away completely. He saw his father's shadow shift and could tell that the old man was coming up behind him.

Although Sora could fight back. Although Sora could punch his father in the face. Although Sora could kick that old man so that he'd never get up again, something stopped him. Perhaps it was the fact that he was his father after all that stopped him, or maybe something else, Sora didn't know.

He braced himself for another beating.

* * *

Selphie winced from where she was on the staircase. She was on her knees, peering through the railings on the hallway. Below her Sora stood there, receiving blow after blow, barely making a sound.

Selphie felt the tears fall down her face, horrified that anyone would hit Sora, her big brother, her closest friend and companion in crime. How could anyone hit that round, happy, cheerful face and not feel like they were kicking a puppy?

Then again, her father would probably do that for fun…

She gasped as Sora was hurled to the floor with a final blow. Sora cried out then, the first sound he'd made since the beating began. Selphie drew back from the staircase, afraid. It had sounded too much like a death keen for her liking.

She retreated to her bedroom, the cry running through her mind like a broken record. She dived onto her bed, slamming the door with her foot and snuggled under the covers, pulling them over her head and covering her ears, trying to drown out the noises.

She found herself face to face with her teddy bear. She smiled, taking a hand away from her ears to bring him closer to her. She had called him Sky, sky blue being the colour of Sora's eyes, and being the meaning of his name as well.

The teddy bear was like Sora, one huge cuddly thing that only wanted to be loved and accepted.

Selphie pulled the teddy bear to her, closing her eyes against the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. She hoped that poor Sora felt her love at least, while he was down there, taking a beating for being ten minutes late home.

* * *

Cloud frowned as he saw Sora approach him. The boy had a large bruise on his cheek and a cut on his forehead above his eyebrow.

"Sora, what happened?" Cloud rushed forward, taking that Selphie was perfectly unharmed but grim looking. He wondered what the hell could have wiped a grin off Selphie's face?

"I-er…" Sora faltered, then looked up at Cloud from underneath hair that was hanging a little bit lankly.

"I got mugged…" The brunet explained. Cloud clenched his fists.

"You called the police?" He demanded. Sora nodded, and rubbed his bruised cheek thoughtfully.

"Yeah. The police caught them and got my money back, so everything's okay, even if my jaw aches a little," Sora grinned, but Selphie was frowning at him. Cloud found it a little amusing that Sora's little sister would be the one to care most about his well being.

"As long as you're okay, I guess. Can't make moves on you if you're sick," Cloud chuckled. Sora laughed.

"Oh yeah? Like you'd ever make moves on an ugly mutt like me!" He replied. Both Cloud and Selphie opened their mouths at the same time.

"You're not ugly!" They said in unison, causing Sora to chuckle and shake his head.

"Yeah, I know I'm not ugly. I'm just stupid," He said, his voice taking a depressed tone. Cloud bit his lip.

"Sora, you're not stupid. You're not dense. You're not clumsy. You're just fine. Be happy with who you are, for God's sake the rest of us are," Cloud couldn't hide the concern in his voice, no matter how hard he tried. Selphie looked at Cloud through the corner of her eye and sent him a small smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Say, what lesson do we have first?" He asked. Cloud shrugged.

"I don't know. I rely on Kairi for the timetable," The blonde replied. Sora smiled and shrugged his bag of his shoulders and pulled out his timetable, reading along the day labelled 'Tuesday'.

"Oh man! Physics, Maths, English Language, Physical Ed and French! What a crap day!" Sora complained. Selphie sniggered.

"Well I have a great day, actually. I have all my favourite teachers. Aren't I lucky, huh?" She teased. Sora groaned and trudged into the school gates.

* * *

Riku looked up as Sora and Cloud entered the form room, Sora kissing his sister, Selphie, on the cheek as she waved goodbye. She peered into the room briefly, saw Riku, squeaked and left.

"We have physics first with Mr. Jally. He waffles a lot and is half-deaf so we'll just talk through that," Kairi was explaining the day. Riku listened with half-an-ear and waited for Sora to sit down in the only available seat, beside him.

"What happened to you, spiky?" Riku asked, cruelly, cutting off Kairi's description of their English Language teacher.

"Mugged," Sora grunted in reply. Riku snorted.

"Mugged? Why the hell would they bother to inflict those kinds of injuries to mug you? It's just a quick shot to the back of the head that they go for, to knock you out. Unless you have some demented muggers around here," Riku examined Sora's face. The brunet had been beaten up pretty bad, Riku doubted he could have done better himself.

"Yeah, well these were the retards of the mugging world then," Sora snapped. Riku smirked, it was twenty to nine in the morning and he had already got under the spiky haired boy's skin.

"You sure you haven't pissed anyone off recently?" Riku asked. Sora glared at him.

"I'll have you know that other than you, I get on with everyone in this school. Even if I had pissed someone off, how does that concern you?" Sora demanded. Riku shrugged and turned to Kairi. She was listening to their idle exchange of insults with rapt fascination.

"What?" Riku asked incredulously. She smiled a very fake smile.

"I never knew Sora was so fiery. He must be real pissed off," She said quietly, so Sora wouldn't hear. She then stood up and picked up her chair, sitting in-between Sora and Riku, her back facing Riku as she examined Sora's face.

Riku scoffed and looked around for someone else to talk to. Finding no one worth his time, Riku turned back to Kairi, who was fussing over Sora's split lip.

Stupid Sora, getting beaten up and taking away Riku's attention. Riku looked over and saw Kairi doing the completely wrong thing to do, causing Sora to yelp and pull away. Riku sighed.

"Don't be such a wimp. Wait here," Riku scolded, getting up and walking out of registration. The teacher watched him, without stopping him, and he was thankful she didn't. He might not have bothered had she stopped him.

He rounded the corner to his locker, and opened it up. He had a mini-fridge in there, on top of it was his books, but his fridge was the most important thing. It kept Riku's drinks cold. And it had a few cans of Fruit Twist flavoured Fanta in it…

Riku returned to the classroom with a can of Fanta in hand, slamming it down on Sora's table. Sora stared at it for a second. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Put a cloth around it and hold it to your face to take the sting away, stupid," Riku growled, sitting down. Kairi and Cloud were giving him a weird look now, and Sora was busy removing his thin summer jacket to see Riku's slight smirk.

The bell went.

"Keep the Fanta," Riku called over his shoulder as he walked away. He hadn't a clue where physics was, but he didn't care. He'd find it eventually…

* * *

When Riku finally got to physics, over half the lesson was over. Sora wrinkled up his nose as the boy went passed. He smelt of smoke, and that was the grossest smell ever.

"What's the matter, Sora? Never smelt smoke before?" Riku's voice ridiculed from the back. Their teacher, Jally, hadn't even noticed Riku's late arrival, or that Riku hadn't been there in the start. In fact, he was completely oblivious and was explaining to the only person listening about light waves and refraction.

"Shut up, of course I have, but it smells awful!" Sora waved his hand in front of his face as Riku sat down beside him, pulling out deodorant and popping peppermint chewing gum into his mouth.

"Better?" He demanded. Sora shook his head.

"Nah, you still stink," He replied. Riku bristled and looked about to hit the brunet, but he took a deep breath and slouched in his chair.

"Yeah, whatever," He closed his eyes and put his head back. Sora looked at the ceiling.

"Say, Sora, how did you really get those bruises?" Riku didn't change his position, or open his eyes. He was asking probably out of pure malice, but Sora wasn't going to tell anyone how he got his bruises. He was clumsy, that was all.

"Door," Sora replied automatically.

"Funny shaped door if you ask me. Who was it? Local bully? That little sister of yours? Your parents?" In Sora's opinion Riku was being far too prying. He pursed his lips, remaining silent.

"Or was it Cloud? You two having violent homo sex behind everyone's backs?" Riku's mask broke and he grinned maliciously.

"No, Cloud didn't do this," Sora said firmly, knowing that Cloud had probably heard his name. It had probably been a wild stab in the dark on Riku's behalf that he had managed to guess Cloud's sexuality.

"So one of the other's did?" Riku asked. Sora bit his tongue.

"No, it was a retarded door and some stupid mugger-thugs, okay?" Sora almost yelled. Riku opened his eyes, regarding Sora coolly and then shrugging.

"Whatever you say, spiky," He replied. Sora growled low in his throat. Who was Riku to doubt him? Who was Riku to pry? Was he really this much of an asshole, or was he really trying hard especially for Sora?

Well, he wasn't in the mood for it today. Feeling crap because his face was mashed and all the colours of the rainbow, Sora felt that the day couldn't get any worse, until he saw his timetable. Then he'd realised that he had Riku with him in every subject and the day became worse and worse.

"Stop prying into my personal life. It's none of your concern anyhow," Sora warned. Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, then I'll ignore you the next time you come in with you're face black and blue and your lip split," Riku said easily, as though he had ever actually cared. They were just words, words to wind Sora up. Usually Sora would have shrugged them off, but today? Today he was pissed.

"Stop while you're ahead," Cloud warned Riku, seeing Sora's clenched fists and glazed expression. Sora stared hard in front of him, willing himself to think about something nice, like Bambi…

Wait, Bambi's mom died… Okay then, Beauty and the Beast… Hang on… The beast died in the end… There had to be something…

The bell went, signalling the beginning of second lesson and everyone jumped up from their chairs. No one heard the teacher shout out the words 'Essay on Light and Refraction for next week' and everyone knew he'd have forgotten about it when it came to collecting it anyhow.

* * *

Riku grinned as he passed the note. Sora opened it and stared down at the message.

What's up gorgeous?

Riku laughed as Sora glanced up furiously. He then looked at his English language teacher, the same teacher he had for English Literature, Kikuta, was still scribbling over work with red pen.

Sora threw the note back viscously, making it zoom passed Riku's head and bounce off the wall.

Just do your work and leave me alone.

Sora was scribbling down answers on his page. Their lesson was about emotive language, and how the words you use can trigger emotions in people. It was here that Riku excelled, for obvious reasons, and he happily replied to the note and threw it across the classroom.

You're beauty is distracting me o gorgeous one.

Riku was a little scared when he threw the note. It was almost as though he was being a little too sincere.

What are you up to?

Riku grinned at Sora's reply. He wasn't quite sure, but he wasn't going to stop now.

Has anyone told you how beautiful your eyes are? They're the colour of the sky. Such a pretty colour for such a pretty boy.

Riku wrote it down in his elegant script and folded it up carefully. He hid it when Kikuta went around to check everyone's answers. The only sounds were of pens scratching on paper and people turning the pages of their notebooks.

When Kikuta finally sat down, he took out a pen and began to mark more people's essays, this time in green. As usual, for every paragraph the student had written, Kikuta wrote one twice as long in green.

Er… Your eyes are nice too…

Riku smirked at Sora's awkward reply. He wrote down one word before throwing it back.

Fag.

Sora pouted when he read it and obviously didn't think of a good comeback, as when the lesson ended, he got up and walked straight passed Riku without even looking at him.

* * *

Leon stared at the little brunette, quite unsure of what to say to her.

"Hi! My name's Selphie! What's yours?" She asked. Leon nodded, he could answer that question.

"Leon," He replied stonily. She didn't seem put off at all by his reluctance to speak to her.

"You're brother is in my brother's year. His name is Sora, that's my brother's name, not your brother's. Your brother's name is Riku, right? He's really hot. I was wondering if you could set me up with him, you know? I would ask Sora, but they don't seem to be very friendly. In fact, I think that Riku is the first enemy Sora's had in school," Selphie rambled. Leon took a second to digest this information.

"No," He replied. She looked up at him, bottom lip quaking.

"What no? No Sora and Riku aren't enemies? No, you won't set me up with your brother. No your brother's name isn't Riku? No he isn't hot? No what?" Selphie asked. Leon sped up, trying to escape the little sunshine brat but she stuck to him like glue. Obviously she was used to this tactic.

"Hey Leon!" Riku jogged over, seeing Selphie he smirked at her evilly. Leon suddenly felt like he was about to be involved in one of his little brother's schemes. He didn't like the way he was looking at the little girl.

"Hey, you're… Sora's sister, right?" Riku asked. Selphie beamed up at him, incessantly happy that she was recognised by someone who was 'hot'.

"Yup!" She responded.

"Say, how did Sora get those bruises?" Riku asked. Unprepared for the question, Selphie blinked at him stupidly.

"Oh, er, funny shaped door and some retarded muggers?" She suggested. Riku's brow furrowed.

"You synchronised your lies?" He asked. Selphie grinned.

"No, it's the truth!" She protested. Riku scoffed.

"I'm not that stupid. Obviously you and your brother are to think that anyone would buy that story," Riku said cruelly.

"My brother's not stupid! You are! You don't know nothing about him so leave judging him out!" Selphie said, her voice rising slowly.

"I thought there was incest. You're both products of some kind of genetic malfunction," Riku's voice was harsh and cold. Selphie looked on the verge of tears.

"What right have you to judge us? What right have you to delve into our secrets?" Selphie asked.

"So you admit there are secrets then?" Riku pressed. She folded her arms.

"I'm not telling you anything!" She yelled. Riku took her by the shoulders and shook her.

"I know that you're lying, okay. I can only help you two if you tell me the truth!" He shouted in her face.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" A voice yelled. Riku looked up to see Sora running full pelt across the school football field at him. Dropping Selphie he shot Leon a look that clearly said 'get-ready-for-trouble'. Leon sighed.

Why did he have to have a brother like Riku?

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Sora shouted, his face up against Riku's. Riku stared back icily, unhanding Selphie, who staggered back, flushed and shook up slightly.

"I was talking to your sister," He replied. Sora growled deep in his throat.

"Talk to this!" The brunet suddenly shouted, slamming his fist into Riku's jaw. Riku staggered backwards, then arms clamped around Sora and he was dragged backwards. Riku was rubbing his jaw.

"You hit like a girl," Riku spat. He spat on the floor, red staining the car park ground.

"Really? Then you won't mind if I hit you again?" Sora asked sarcastically, going for Riku once more. Cloud grabbed onto Sora's arm but was shrugged off, this minor distraction meant that Riku could land a blow on Sora. It was soft and half-hearted though, and it brought Sora to his senses.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Sora, please don't! Stop!" Selphie was begging. Sora snapped back to reality, through the violent haze. Riku wiped his mouth, a trail of blood running down his chin.

Sora felt horrified at what he'd done. Had he… Had he turned into his father? He'd hit someone without any justification…

"Sora, come on. Let's go," Cloud said firmly. Sora allowed himself to be lead away, still dazed at what he had done.

Riku swilled out his mouth again.

"He knocked a tooth out Riku, you should go home," Leon warned. Riku shook his head.

"You're kidding? I'm going to find out where he got those bruises from Leon. I've seen too many people live unhappy lives…"

****

Ending Notes:

The review button needs feeding. Feed it, please…

A weird place to end? I know, but that's because I wanted to add another level to Riku and Sora's relationship. It's kind of hide and seek with the family secrets. I might change the name of the fic to that… But then again, it is about how weird life can be so maybe not…

R&R

**Beta'd: 19/09/05 **


	3. Flicker of Hope

****

**Stranger Than Fiction**

**Chapter Three:**

**Flicker of Hope**

**Author's Note:**

**Warning: **Anti-Kairi vibes in this chapter

This is the chapter that tells you about Riku's parents. I want to create a kind of… well… You know when you're reading some people's writing, and you know what both characters are thinking, and their reasoning and you're willing them to get together, and throughout every conversation you get those kind of… apprehensive butterflies? I want that to happen when people read this fic. Especially towards the end…

I've just checked the reviews. Whoa… blinks Thank you very much bows I'm glad to know that about fifteen people like this fic enough to review.

****

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

Riku stood against the wall, throwing a tennis ball up and down, catching and throwing expertly with one hand. Tennis… Such a boring game…

"Mr Leonhart, are you going to join us any time soon?" The teacher demanded. Riku thought about it for a second, looking around and seeing that everyone except Sora was paired off.

"No," He replied. "Have a sickness called exerciseritus, is brought on by exercise." He said shortly after. At this a few of the class members sniggered. The teacher looked at Riku sternly.

"Really? Would you like to see the school nurse?" The Physical Ed. Teacher asked. Riku rolled his eyes, slouching over.

"Go with Hikka," The teacher said sharply. Riku glared at Sora, remaining where he was.

"Where's his boyfriend? Can't they go together?" Riku complained. The teacher's mouth was set in a thin line.

"My son, Cloud, has had to go home," The teacher said icily. Riku blinked and then he heard the class' quiet chuckles turn into laughter. They were laughing at him. Mr Strife just held up a hand, and the boys were silent.

"Look, it's Kairi and the junior cheerleaders!" One boy yelled. Immediately every head turned and cat calls and whistles followed the girls across the field. Riku recognised one of the cheerleaders as Sora's little sister. Kairi giggled as they talked.

"Okay boys, I'm sure that Selphie and Kairi are quite glad that you show them some attention, however, I shouldn't think that they want you to watch them. You want to impress them, then play some decent tennis," Strife then walked away and sat down. Riku and Sora glared at each other.

"I've got a tennis ball. You get the rackets," Riku instructed. To his surprise, Sora did it. He brought back some of the best rackets too. Riku glanced up at the brunet, who was also watching him intently.

"Let's get started then?" Riku suggested. Sora continued staring.

"What's the matter with you, spiky?" Riku demanded, slightly unnerved. Why was Sora staring at him like that? Was he really sick looking? That tooth was still hurting a lot but…

"Did I… Did I hurt you?" Sora asked suddenly. Riku straightened up to his full height.

"You didn't hit me that hard, short stuff. I've been hit much harder," He replied. Sora blushed and walked to the other side of the tennis courts. He then waited for Riku to serve.

Riku sighed, throwing up the ball and hitting it as hard as he could. Serving was the only part of his game that needed improving, more often than not, it went into the net. However, this time he was lucky and it reached Sora, who hit it back with equal force.

Riku tried to catch Sora out quite a few times. In fact, he didn't suceed, for every trick he pulled, Sora would counter it. They ended the PE session without having finished a single rally.

"Well, guys, who do you think will win this? Our champ, Sora, or the cocky newcomer, Riku?" A boy Riku knew as Wakka began to take bets from people. He ignored them, trying to keep up with Sora.

"Aaah!" Sora yelled, hitting the ball as hard as he could. It bounced in front of Riku, who hit it back, letting out a little 'oof' as the motion caused the air to rush from his lungs.

Sora looked like he was going to hit it. But then at the last minute, one of the other boys dropped their tennis ball, and it rolled onto the court. Sora tripped over the ball and fell onto the rubber/tarmac (what is that stuff?) with a small cry of pain.

"Oh, shit! I bet on Sora as well!" The boy yelled, before running forwards. Sora waved him off, staring at Riku with something that could probably only be described as pure hatred.

Now that Riku realised he'd got what he had been setting out to do since their first meeting, he felt empty. What the hell was he thinking? Covering up his insecurity, he smirked. Turning his back on Sora, he rested his racket against the wall and walked away. Behind him, Sora seethed.

* * *

Sora sat in the nurse's room, watching as she fussed over his ankle. She already fussed over his face. He told her he'd got into a fight, he'd been mugged, then he'd fallen over a tennis ball, but it all seemed too unbelievable.

Too much happened in a small space of time. Riku wasn't supposed to be so mean… Sora knew that… Somewhere along the line, he knew that Riku and he were meant to be friends. They weren't meant to hate each other. It was just so hard not to when every time Riku opened his mouth it was something ridiculing or vindictive that span out.

"I think you should stay here for a while. Have a nap dear, you look bushed. There's no point returning for the rest of your Physical Ed. Class, there's only half an hour left. I'll wake you at the end of the day," She said kindly. Sora nodded, happy just to be left alone.

His thoughts buzzed around in his head. All of them contained Riku, and it was scaring him.

* * *

Riku trudged home, Leon had been held up with something or other, so he was all alone. He was alright, he had his music… Perhaps a little bit of a strange choice for a guy, but he was listening to No Doubt…

♪ Wanted and adored by attractive women, bountiful selection at your discretion, I know I'm diving into my own destruction. ♪

Riku pondered these lyrics for a second, but before he could seriously begin to get stuck into his thoughts, he was home. Riku's house was a cosy little beach house. It was made out of wood, as were most houses in the area, and it had been painted a pale blue by the previous owners. The effect was that of a beautiful little house with an ideal family living inside.

They'd moved there because Riku's mom had wanted to go to sleep to the sound of the sea.

He pushed open the door, dumping his school back on the settee and walking into his mom's room. She was laid on her bed, talking to a woman dressed in a blue nurse's uniform. She was talking quite freely, like mothers quite often do.

"Oh Riku honey! Meet Eva Strife, my new nurse. Her son goes to the same school as you. In fact he'd be about your age!" His mom beamed at him. Riku paled slightly, shuffling into the room. Were Cloud's parents stalking him or something?

"I know Cloud, ma'am," Riku replied politely, before sitting on his mom's bed.

"Mom, let me stay home and look after you. You know that I would rather look after you than spend all day hating it in that school," Riku said gently. His mom chuckled, and took his hand.

"My darling little boy… I wish I could spend more time with you. With both of you," She acknowledged Leon, who had just popped his head through the door. He grinned at her and began to walk across the room.

"My only hope is that I see both you and Leon happy before I finally fall asleep," Amy Leonhart frowned and adjusted her position slightly.

"When is that wheelchair coming, Eva?" She asked. Riku looked up at the nurse who was smiling, even though her eyes were sad. Riku felt slightly angry, he didn't need some mother of a retard dense blonde twat feeling sorry for him.

"Thursday, with any luck, it's coming with the drugs," Eva said quietly. Riku was surprised at her quiet tones and soft voice. When he thought about it though, Cloud's voice, when he spoke, was soft and quiet…

"But Mom, we have loads of drugs. Why do you need more? It hasn't got worse has it?" Leon demanded. Amy laughed and shook her head, cupping her eldest son's cheek.

"No, dear, I'm trying out a new drug. It's a kind of… Wonderdrug… I use that term lightly. There's a sixty-forty percent chance it will work, and it's still in it's trial period so we have to be careful with our hopes. Agreed? No thinking I'm better before I am," She said. Riku watched his mom, admiration printed on his features.

His mom had been suffering from a problem with her nervous system since she was born. However, it had got progressively worse since Leon was born. They said that the stress of a new-born child had counteracted the drugs. Then a messy divorce meant that they had moved to a rough neighbourhood, before Leon's father died, leaving them the money.

It had all been used on their mother's healthcare. They had sold their father's possessions, including cars, houses, antiques, anything to get rid of things that reminded them of their stupid old man, and had put the money towards the best that they could.

Amy had been overwhelmed by her sons' affections, but mostly Riku's. The boy was described to her as cold, callous, vindictive, but it was hard to believe when he was curled up on her bed at three in the morning singing gently to her all her favourite songs.

"It sounds good to me," Leon said, before standing up.

"Oh yeah, apparently Sora ended up in the nurses' office. I heard it had something to do with you?" Leon asked. Riku winced, knowing what was coming…

"Riku! You didn't!" His mother's voice was shrill. This wasn't something she should have heard in her fragile state. What was Leon thinking?

"Are you talking about Sora Hikka?" Eva asked. Leon looked at her, then at Riku, then nodded. Eva smiled.

"Sora is my son's best friend. I know he's not one to be provoked into rash actions. He's the nice boy who doesn't get into any trouble, the one who every mother wants their daughter to go out with," Eva said gently. Riku bristled, Sora was hardly the little angel everyone thought he was.

"Listen, I wasn't the one who hit first, okay? I was trying to talk to his sister about why he was beat up, he went crazy, thinking I was harassing her, and hit me. He knocked my tooth out for God's sake!" Riku retorted. Leon shook his head, smiling, as Amy drew herself up.

"Why would he have any reason to think you were harassing her Riku?" She demanded. Riku looked down and began picking at a bit of loose thread in the quilt.

"We're… rivals… He doesn't like me," Riku said quietly, trying to look pathetic. Eva chuckled.

"Well, I know Sora very well, and he doesn't make enemies easily. In fact he's never had an enemy before, unless you count his parents," Eva said, her hand up to her mouth to hide her smile. Riku clenched his fists.

"Well he hates me so can we leave it there?" Riku asked, before looking to his mom, who was looking grim.

Eva, who was tall and blonde like Cloud, except with green eyes instead of blue, backed off. She held herself like a woman who had been through hell and back and was proud of it. She had dark circles under her eyes, obviously she had been working long hours. Compared to Riku's mother, Eva was an elegant, supermodel like figure. Without being cruel, Riku's mother was fairly plain, with brown hair, brown eyes and no feature that was particularly out of the ordinary. She was short and stout when she was standing, and although she wasn't ugly, she wasn't pretty either.

However, there was something about her, perhaps the general feel of maternal love, that made people adore her. She was funny, a good time girl, who was the life and soul of the party… It was hard to believe that she could have produced a son like Leon, who's looks followed his father. Riku stared at her for a second, then looked away.

He felt guilty for being such a brat. She had always paid more attention to him, doted on him, given him everything he asked for. She had always picked Riku over Leon…

Perhaps because Riku had been abandoned at an orphanage when he was three, with no way of establishing who his parents were he was just put into the state children's homes. He held onto the vague hope of being adopted until he was nine years old…

It was then that he had met Amy, and had immediately wanted to be adopted by her. He remembered, with a vague sense of embarrassment, that he had clutched at her attention every time she had visited the home, and done the most outrageous things to get her to notice him.

Then one time, she had brought Leon along with her. Riku remembered that the first thing Leon had ever done was refusing to shake his hand. Riku hadn't been quite sure what to say after that, but they had ended up making a den out of Riku's bed sheets and playing Pirates.

It was when Amy had walked in on Leon and Riku pay fighting with plastic swords, that she had decided to adopt Riku. Little Riku had grown up since then, and his hair, which had been blonde, had turned slowly silver. The doctor's said it was his genetics, that his hair was just going prematurely grey.

They were a strange lot, perhaps a little of an eccentric family, but they were happy together…

"Riku, you can apologise to this Sora tomorrow morning when you go to school," Amy instructed.

"Yes mom," Riku drawled, knowing that when it came to the morning, he wasn't going to say anything to Sora, but he might have a few words with Leon.

* * *

Kairi sat in her house, idly turning the pages of her English homework. They were supposed to read another chapter of Lord of the Flies, but Kairi's mind kept spinning to the events of earlier.

Sora and Riku's rivalry was getting out of hand. She hadn't thought it would end up with an actual fight, but if there was one thing that got Sora riled, it was people prying into his personal life and people messing with his family. Kairi wasn't sure who's side she was on, though. On one side, it seemed that the two just didn't like each other. Riku was a smart-ass, with far more witty remarks than Sora, but Sora looked to be a more deadly adversary than he seemed.

Whatever happened, Kairi would date the winner. She had decided that when Riku had first walked through the door. She would date one of them. Then there was Tidus, in the year above them… He was pretty cool…

"Kairi? Yuffie is here!" Her mom called. Kairi grinned and waited for Yuffie to come up. Sure enough, the girl bounced into the room a few minutes later, followed a little more sheepishly by Selphie. The little brunette looked slightly uncomfortable, seeing as it had been she who had been the thorn of Sora and Kairi's relationship.

"Hey Selphie," Kairi greeted the girl warmly. Selphie grinned back and followed Yuffie to sit down on Kairi's bed.

"So what's up?" Yuffie asked. Kairi folded her arms, looking at the two younger girls with a look that was clearly superior.

"Which one should I choose, Sora, Riku or Tidus?"

* * *

"Hey Selphie," Kairi said patronisingly. She was so fake it was cheesy.

"So what's up?" Yuffie asked. Selphie forced the grin onto her face. _Just pretend you want to be here. For Yuffie's sake pretend…_

"Which one should I choose, Sora, Riku or Tidus?" Kairi asked. _Biatch! There's no way that Sora will ever go out with you, you big fat hussy!_

"Hm… Riku seems keen," Yuffie replied. _Yes, that's right. Riku deserves you. That bastard needs a stupid little sl-_

"Hm… But Riku seems a little too keen, if you know what I mean. I think he just sees it as another way to get back at Sora. Make Sora angry, you know? I'm not sure whether I want to hurt Sora that way…" _He won't be hurt. If anything, he fancies Mr. Kikuta more than you! If he flirts with you it's because he wants to get at Riku. Dumb cow…_

"Tidus," Selphie blurted out. Kairi blinked at her.

"Pardon?" She asked. Selphie grinned, her smile hideously false.

"I said that you should go out with Tidus. That way there isn't any more problems between Sora and Riku," Selphie said brightly. _You're just saying this in front of my as payback. Well I'll make sure that you and Sora don't get together, even if it means giving you my darling Riku!_

_Wait… Is Riku a bastard or a darling? Oh what does it matter? I don't care if you have him. I'll have hunky Cloud… Wait, he's gay… Um… Damnit! That leaves me with someone like Wakka… Ugh… Why do I always get the retards? Maybe Zell...  
_

"She's right!" Yuffie added with a grin.

"Uh… Yeah… Right, Tidus it is then… Are you sure that then I won't just have Sora and Riku against me?" Kairi asked. _Stop making excuses bitch._

"Maybe," Selphie replied lamely.

"God, I have to go! C'mon Selph!" Yuffie dragged Selphie downstairs before she burst into an angry fit.

* * *

Sora lay on his bed, 'The Lord of the Flies' open before him. It wouldn't hurt to read the book. It gave him something to do, besides treat his swollen lip and play .hack infection…

"Piggy? What kind of name is that anyway?" Sora asked aloud. Then his mobile phone went off. Sora had it on silent constantly, and always on a special belt strapped just under his waistline so he could feel it. To most people that would have been extreme, but Sora knew, if his parents knew he had a mobile phone they'd take it from him. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the '1 Message received' on the screen.

The number was one that was strange to him, definitely not one he'd seen before. It looked more like a landline phone number than a mobile, this threw Sora slightly.

Do you believe in love from personality or looks?

Another thing that threw him slightly. It wasn't in text speak, so it was unlikely to be anyone of his friends. The question was slightly strange too…Intrigued, and wondering if the text was meant to reach him, Sora replied.

Um. My name's Sora Hikka. I think u got the rong no.

Sora placed his phone beside him and had barely read a sentence when the phone vibrated again.

I meant you, Sora. I won't tell you who I am, you'll have to work that out yourself, but I would like to get to know you through text. Answer my question, personality or looks?

Sora blinked. This person was certainly strange. They knew him, they were close enough to him to get his private number…

A mixture I guess. Probably more personality, I'm not sure. I've never been in love.

Sora didn't bother to put the phone down this time, instead he waited for a reply. Sure enough, less than a minute later, the phone buzzed in his hand.

Never? Well… We'll see… I'm sure you'll guess who this is, even if you don't then I'll still text you this time every night. Goodnight Sora, have pleasant dreams.

Sora stared, then, his hands shaking slightly, typed a simple message back.

And you.

* * *

Kairi lay on her bed, content with her plans. She had the perfect plan, and the first stage had been executed. She couldn't wait for one of the boys to be hers.

* * *

Riku lay on his bed, content with his plans. He had the perfect plan to screw with Sora's head. It would be flawless. He only had to stop himself from liking it too much.

* * *

Cloud lay on his bed, laughing down at his phone, and putting it on the bedside table. Selphie was a bundle of laughs, and her text messages always tickled him. However, he had been waiting for a much more important message.

* * *

Leon put his phone down, a little nervous. He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to put in situations like that, so he had put what first came to mind, and then left it at that. He had hardly expected a reply.

What now?

* * *

Selphie giggled as she thought up the prank. She and Yuffie sat on the pavement just outside her house, a phone huddled between them. Yuffie's new phone sure was cool.

* * *

Sora went to sleep quickly, his phone tucked under his pillow so he would feel it if the anonymous texter replied. He hadn't got his reading done, totally absorbed in trying to puzzle out who the person was.

It was possible to have more than one phone. Perhaps one of his friends had a new phone and was testing it out. Or had used someone else's, that's why there was a set time?

Sora clenched his fists, annoyed at himself. He might as well not bother trying to figure it out, there weren't any clues, and there were never going to be. He might as well just talk to that person…

"G'night," Sora whispered to his room, and to some random person out there who might care.

* * *

Riku curled into a ball. There was hope. There hadn't been before.

His mother was dying. Now there was a chance she might not. So far she had been unlucky, but now she might be okay.

There was that small flicker alight in Riku's heart that everything might work out.

Everything would be okay. It had to be.

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

Slightly shorter but with plenty for you to ponder over I think. Of course, the thing you're most interested in is who the texter is. Of course you'll never find out, because I'm not sure if I'm even going to reveal who it is in this fic. Shame on you for being more worried about Sora's love life than Riku's dying mom!

I also hope that you accept Riku and Leon's brotherhood now, seeing as Riku's adopted, they don't have to look like each other.

I just want to leave a message for a reviewer, for a change, lileth darkstorm, I'm glad that you liked the fic. It's always nice to hear that your writing has changed/modified someone's views on a genre. It's also nice to think that my stories are actually being recommended… That's never happened before… Thank you to you and your friend.

Thank you to everyone else too, your support is amazing. 18 reviews for two chapters. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

R&R

**Beta'd: 19/09/05 **


	4. The Sparring

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Four:

The Sparring

Author's Note:

Thank you to the reviewers who are very supportive, and lots of reviews mean lots of chapters, right? I'm listening to No Doubt The Singles, so I have lots of happy thoughts. This chapter is… Cloud and Leon based really.

Although I do manage to destroy innocent Sora, and straight Sora in this chapter. Well, not completely straight Sora, but he begins to 'experiment'. Always a good sign in Sora/Rikuness.

Oh, and thank you for all those who 'highly recommended' this story. If you go to the normal KH story listing page, then change the url from the usual 'list.php' to 'naf.php' it comes up with the highly recommended list, of which Stranger Than Fiction is at the top (This was written on the 25th July). Thank you thank you thank you!

****

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

Sora waited by his phone the next evening, and the evening after that. The anonymous texter didn't reply. Then, when Sora had assumed all hope was lost…

Hello Sora.

Sora stared at the phone, then immediately went to his template he had created in his boredom. It was a simple message.

I've bin waiting every nite 4 u 2 txt. I stil have no idea hu u r. Y don't we start with a/s/l?

He waited, holding his breath. Would he sound too keen? This person, this random person from his life, was caring for him. But who was it?

You've been waiting for me Sora? How cute. As for a/s/l, I'll tell you. 16/DI.

Sora sighed. So it was a guy… Only a guy wouldn't have put his sex. Unless it was a girl who didn't want her identity revealed that early.

As if I couldn't have guessed that alredy. Er… Ok, what's your favourite flavour?

Sora cursed as he sent the text. He'd forgotten to add 'food' but it was too late now. Rolling over on his satin sheets, Sora faced the dark ceiling.

I like Berries. Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Gooseberries. They're all good. I would like to taste you too Sora, I'm sure you'd be up there with the rest of the berries.

Sora frowned. He didn't know anyone who liked berries. This could be a random stalker… But somehow, Sora wasn't sure why, but he liked these little text sessions. It was comforting to know that someone cared enough to go through the trouble of getting his number...

Sora-berries? I don't taste 2 good, don't try eating me. I may luk gud enuf 2 eat, but seriously, I taste gross. Also, if u take a bite out of me skool I'll know hu u r.

Sora was quite pleased with his answer. It was then he realised someone was in the doorway. It was Selphie, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Who you texting?" She asked. Sora grinned at her.

"I don't know, that's the fun part," He replied. She came and sat on his bed.

"Ooh! You have a secret admirer!" She squealed. Sora nodded and showed her all his texts so far. Selphie frowned and then jumped when the phone went off again. Sora opened the message eagerly.

Sora, you're too much… You're a virgin aren't you? Man, that must suck… Well, maybe I'll be the one to taste you first?

Sora wasn't sure if he should let his innocent little sister read that, but she snatched it away from him. She seemed completely calm about it all.

"What you gonna reply?" She asked. Sora thought for a second.

Maybe you will taste me first…

"You can't put that!" Selphie screeched. Sora put his fingers to his lips to indicate silence and returned to the message.

I take it u're not a virgin then… u're slowly narowing this list down. I no I'm luking 4 some1 hu's not a virgin hu likes berries. That's half of the island then. Can I ask u 1 question, not a specific?

Sora sent the message, Selphie mouthing at him soundlessly.

"Sora! I can't believe you put that! You don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet!" Her voice was all high pitched and strange.

"So?" Sora replied, he felt reckless. So what if it was a guy, if Sora felt a connection with him what did it matter? Not that Sora had ever fancied a guy before, but maybe this was different. They were never going to meet and it was just texting…

No. Have sweet dreams of me Sora. Know that if my dreams are as sweet as you, I will wake up happy. Goodnight.

Sora bit his lip. He didn't want to say goodnight yet…

"Well? What are you going to reply?" Selphie demanded. Sora grinned evilly suddenly.

What are you wearing?

"Selphie, it's time for you to leave," Sora said, his authority voice on. Her eyes widened.

"I really wish I'd never come in…" She said, before running out the door and into her room. Sora didn't intend on doing that but it was a good excuse to get rid of Selphie temporarily.

That eager to let me taste you Sora? What would you think if I told you I had just got out of the shower. And that I am a guy.

Sora's lips drooped a little, but then a little pulse of excitement ran through him. What would it hurt? Most people experimented with their sexuality, right? Most people were straight so it only figured that it was okay to do it…

Does that matter? What would you say to a little taster session?

* * *

You had the first taste.

Sora sent. He lay down on his bed, wondering what the hell he had just done. Text sex was something that only sad people did, but he'd managed to do it without thinking about it…

Sora… I'm not quite sure what to say to you… Wow… I promise to dream of you tonight, and be in a good mood tomorrow. Thank you, thank you for tonight. Goodnight...

Sora was too tired to reply properly, so he just dialled the number, expecting it to just ring. However, there was a reply, the voice on the end of the line was breathless and husky.

"Sora?" It said. Sora's sleep addled mind took in the sound of the voice with delight and a small shiver.

"Goodnight. I promise to dream of you too…" Sora whispered, aware that his own voice was broken slightly. He heard an intake of breath on the other end of the phone.

"Goodnight."

* * *

Cloud surveyed the corridors. The last day of school before the weekend, the last few hours. As usual, Sora was late, and Cloud hadn't the patience to wait for him. Riku and Leon walked passed, and to Cloud's surprise, Riku was smiling.

Cloud drew his eyes from Riku's radiant smile to Leon, who's smile was slightly less… open, but still present. Sensing Cloud's eyes, Leon looked up and his smile became a little more indiscreet.

"What you smiling at?" Riku asked, then followed Leon's gaze to Cloud. Riku then looked at his brother.

"Hey, Cloud?" Riku called. Unsure about Riku's motives, Cloud approached warily.

"What?" He asked. Riku smirked.

"By any chance does your number end 254?" The silver haired demon asked. Cloud bit his lip. Damn… Had he sent his text messages meant for Kuja to someone else?

"Er, yeah, why?" Cloud asked, casually. Riku glanced up at his brother.

"Ha! I guessed it! My turn! Who's number ends with 547?" Riku asked. Cloud frowned.

"That's Sora's number… How did you get it?" Cloud demanded. Riku blinked, then laughed.

"Because his little sister wrote it on large laminated pieces of paper and put them all around the school. I mean, everyone has either a business card that reads 'Sora Hikka, Professional Dumbass, 0145-458-547'," Riku laughed. It was then that Cloud first noticed the pink post-it stickers everywhere. Also the luminous A4 sheets with the word's 'SORA'S NUMBER' on it.

"Oh man… I'm going to have to help him take all of them down…" Cloud cursed loudly and profoundly. It was amazing how many curses you picked up when you're parents both worked long hours.

"Nice vocab," Riku drawled.

"Thanks," Cloud flashed him a grin.

"I'll help you take them down later," Leon suggested. Cloud smiled, more than a little bit fazed that someone as gorgeous as Leon would ever want to help the only open homo in the school. People weren't openly prejudiced, but at the same time, they weren't openly accepting either…

"Um… Thank you…" Cloud replied, then he heard Sora's telltale heavy footfalls.

"Sorry I'm late, I was up late last night," Sora yelled, skidding to a halt before Cloud, Riku and Leon. Immediately there was the usual tension, but there was something strange today, like neither of them really wanted to start of the friction.

"I don't want the details," Cloud said quickly. Sora blushed slightly.

"Good, because I'm not giving you any. Er… Cloud, I want to talk to you later, in private about something," Sora muttered, the blush slowly spreading.

"You know what, I think Sora's finally given into those homo urges," Riku drawled. Sora shot him a glare.

"Shut your mouth Riku before I knock out another tooth and ruin your oh so perfect smile," Sora said, without his usual venom. Cloud looked at Riku, who was obviously thinking about it.

"Fair enough…" He said. Cloud watched Riku's mouth, realising that when Sora had hit him, it must have been a back tooth he knocked out. Suddenly, Cloud had an urge to ask.

"Which tooth was it?" He asked, earning a look of bewilderment.

"Why?" Riku asked. Cloud shrugged.

"Dunno, just curious I guess…" Cloud replied. Riku opened his mouth and pulled back his cheek to reveal not only the fact he had a tongue piercing, but also that the last 'normal' tooth before the molars was missing.

"Niiiice…" Sora said, but he too looked interested in a morbid way.

"As much as I've loved this little… conversation… I must be going, there is a cigarette with my name on it. Good day," Riku bowed mockingly and walked away. Cloud turned to Sora.

"You're being nice to him," Cloud exclaimed. Sora rolled his eyes and grabbed Cloud's arm.

"You don't know the half of it…"

Sora explained the whole text thing, blushing slightly when he just said the words 'text sex'. Cloud didn't look all that shocked, which struck Sora as being a little weird. Was he the anonymous texter?

"It wasn't… you… was it?" Sora asked. Cloud blinked, then laughed.

"No offence Sora, but no it wasn't. Unless that's an offer of course?" Cloud put on a look of lust. Sora backed off a little.

"So what, you're bisexual, join the club. Nearly everyone is nowadays. Very few gays, such as myself, limit themselves to one sex anymore. Besides, so what if you like a guy, I'm sure that if he likes you back, there's no problem, right?" Cloud asked. Sora stared. It was that simple? It really didn't matter?

"Yeah… Yeah it's that simple… Wow… Tonight I might have a boyfriend…" And in his thoughts Sora added: And I still don't know his name…

* * *

Cloud slouched in a cubical of the gent's toilets. He was thoroughly bored of taking down little pieces of luminous card. If he got his hands on Selphie…

"Cloud?" He heard Sora call his name. He drew up his legs and made sure that if Sora looked under the door he couldn't be seen.

"Cloud, Leon's looking for you!" Sora called again. Placing his feet down with a 'thunk' Cloud opened the door only to be met with Sora's evil grin.

"Ooh, so little Cloudy has a crush of tough-ass Leon?" Sora teased. Cloud put his hand to his forehead. This was not a good day.

* * *

Leon was halfway home when Riku reminded him of his promise to Cloud. Cursing, he had run back only to see the last car speeding off into the distance. Rather than comb the school, Leon had waited outside.

Cloud hadn't appeared and it was five pm before Leon realised how long he'd been waiting. Deciding to take a short cut through the park, Leon had to cross a meadow. The sky was beginning to turn pink as the sunset. The meadow was so beautiful…

Leon began to walk across when he saw a dark figure silhouetted against the sunset, and a glint of metal. Scared for the person who was being attacked, Leon dropped his things and immediately ran to their aide. It wasn't until he was only ten yards away that Leon realised it was Cloud. Leon stopped, his mouth working soundlessly. Cloud… Cloud!

The boy hadn't noticed him yet, but he that didn't matter. Leon stared at the topless blonde as he almost danced with a wicked looking blade. It seemed to be the largest sword known to man. It probably was…

Cloud turned suddenly, and Leon saw the taut muscles, fighting to control the blade, the sheen of sweat on his muscled torso. Then he snapped out of his daze when Cloud cried out.

"Leon!" He stumbled, fell over a fallen log and landed on his ass. He stayed down, not shifting, steam beginning to rise off his body in the cooling air.

"Sorry to sneak up on you. You should be more alert next time," Leon warned. Inside his mind was screaming at him to be nice. It was screaming at him to put away the mask, but for some reason, Leon was too… too shy…

If Cloud could see what he was feeling then there was a chance of rejection. When Cloud finally got up, Leon noticed a mask similar to his own. Or perhaps Cloud just didn't have any feelings?

"Yeah, well if you hadn't been doing your little stealth exercise then this wouldn't have happened!" Cloud snapped. Leon stared at him and then shook his head.

"I'm not going to fight with you. Just because my brother's a bit of an ass, and he doesn't get on with your best friend, doesn't mean we should hate each other immediately," Leon said calmly. A brief look of confusion spread across the younger boy's face.

"What are you and Riku up to now?" Cloud accused. Leon scowled, what was this kid's problem? Was he trying to push away a new friend?

"I'll have you know that whatever Riku is 'planning' he's leaving me out of it, like he should. I've done his dirty work far too often, he knows that I've had enough and has to do it himself. Trust me, he doesn't need my help to make people's lives hell," Leon replied. Cloud clenched his fists.

"You train here often?" Leon asked, watching as Cloud picked up a bottle of water and drank some. Dragging his eyes away, Leon scolded himself. This was Riku-esque behaviour, the kind of obsessive watching and torturing…

"Perhaps," Cloud replied. Leon smirked and shook his head. What did he expect? Cloud had a mask too, he wasn't likely to drop it for a guy he'd known for barely a week…

"How good are you?" Leon asked. Cloud put the water bottle down then opened out a long cloth bundle.

"You know how to use a bo?" He asked, throwing one to Leon, who caught it with one hand, giving it a little twirl.

"I know how to use one," He laughed. It had been ages since he'd done official martial arts training… It felt strange to be holding a bo again… He examined it, finding it to be the perfect weight for his build. Then again, he was built like Cloud, so it wasn't much a coincidence…

Leon shrugged off his jean jacket, underneath he had a sleeveless white T-shirt. He also removed his 'Griever' pendant, slinging it to the ground before holding out the bo in a 'challenge' position.

Cloud raised an eyebrow, and raised his own bo, carefully positioning himself so as not to be hit before he could defend. For a few seconds, that felt like minutes, they stared at each other.

Then Leon leapt into the attack, striking against Cloud's bo with such force that it made the blonde stagger backwards. Cloud returned the blow with a lighter but faster stroke.

It went backwards and forwards for quite some time, perspiration gleaming on both their brows, neither willing to give in.

Leon stumbled…

Cloud gulped when he saw Leon stumble, unsure whether it was a feint or a real chance to win. Deciding to attack anyway, Cloud whipped the bo out against Leon's ribs. He heard Leon's breath hiss out of his lungs.

"Shit!" Leon cursed, before rolling and jumping to his feet. He glared at the blonde, making Cloud feel a little guilty. It was that moment of hesitation, Cloud later realised, that Leon was waiting for.

A powerful blow to his head sent him spinning to the ground, he was temporarily blinded. He felt strong arms lift him up, turning him so he wasn't facing the ground. He felt gentle hands carefully move hair out of his face, and examine the injury. He felt a slow drip of blood fall from his temple into his hair.

"Cloud? Cloud for God's sake say something! C'mon! Shit!" Leon's hands were trembling against his cheek. In his slight confusion, suddenly pain shattered his thoughts. The only thing that kept him crying out was how nice Leon's hand felt against his cheek.

"L-Leon… I'm okay… One hell of a… headache though…" Cloud winced, knowing he should try to sit up, but being held like this… was far too nice…

"No kidding. I know what head shots are like. I thought you'd manage to block it. I'm going to try to clean away some of this blood. I think the bo just split the skin on your temple," Leon's voice sounded strained. It was as though he was holding many emotions back, but it was obvious he was concerned simply by the fact he sounded as though he was holding emotions back.

"Was too busy… feeling guilty… about your bloody… ribs…" Cloud replied. He blinked as he felt something cold pressed against his temple. There was the usual stinging as when a cut was cleaned, but Cloud focused on Leon's other hand, the one that was stroking his forehead absently.

Cloud opened his eyes to see Leon's eyes focused on the wound, his mouth set in a thin line, a frown on his features. It almost melted Cloud into a puddle. Didn't this idiot know what he did to him?

"I think I have… concussion…" Cloud whispered. He saw Leon's smile.

"I think you have too. Just don't fall asleep," The brunet replied. Cloud frowned, and immediately regretted it when he felt the pain spread from his temple through his head. He was sure that he was going to pass out if he didn't fall asleep.

Cloud felt Leon's hand leave his temple, and curiosity made him open his eyes again to see that Leon was using his T-shirt to wipe his forehead.

"What the?" Cloud whispered before he could stop himself. He then shut his eyes quickly. He was all too aware how much he was attracted to Leon, without Leon suddenly turning all caring and taking his shirt off… Besides, it was most likely that Leon was straight…

Then again, what had he told Sora earlier? Most people nowadays had bisexuality as an option? Was Leon one of those people? Shut up brain, shut up, shut up, shut up!

"What's the matter?" Leon asked. Cloud bit his lip, trying to think of a reply.

"I wonder what I'll tell my parents. I got beaten up by a nobody or that I was 'mugged'? They're going to go psycho…" Cloud mumbled. It was then that he heard Leon's sharp intake of breath.

"You aren't going to sue are you?" He asked. Cloud laughed, how could he ever sue Leon, hell, anyone? What kind of money did that have? Zilch, zero, zip-all.

"No, no I'm not. Say… Could you help me home?" Cloud asked, he opened his one eye and saw Leon was shifting to put him down.

"Yeah, sure," Leon replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Was he really that comfortable around Cloud or was he just feeling guilty? Probably the latter.

"Here, I'll help you into your shirt," Leon gently lifted Cloud up, pulling the T-shirt over his head gently. Cloud pulled his arms through himself, but Leon straightened it up. Perhaps Cloud was being hopeful, but he was sure that Leon's touch lingered longer than it should.

"Okay, I'm going to pick you up. You may feel a little sick…" Leon then heaved Cloud to his feet. Leon hadn't been kidding. Cloud felt the world spin and slammed his eyes shut. He felt as though he were falling, spinning wildly.

"I'm going to stash this in a bush, okay? I can't haul you and your weapons along. I'll pick them up later and bring them to your house, okay?" Leon asked. Cloud didn't reply, he knew if he opened his mouth he'd be sick. That wouldn't be very attractive…

"Hold onto me," Leon instructed. In Cloud's slightly dazed mind, that had a more prominent meaning. He practically fell onto Leon, who staggered under the weight.

"Cloud! Stay awake!" He begged. Cloud heard Leon's panicked voice, and smiled. Leon did care then…

"Sorry… My cell phone is in my… pocket…" Cloud whispered, before slumping his full weight onto Leon.

Leon found Cloud's phone, hurriedly dialling 911. He heard the operator's voice.

"Ambulance," He said before the woman had finished. After that there was the usual crap about false alarms. Then Leon heard the actual person rather than recorded message come onto the line.

"We're on the meadow just off Sylvae Street. My friend fell, he hit his head pretty bad. He's just passed out. I'll try and carry him to the main road. Yes… Yes… No… What?… Oh right, I don't know… Um… He's unconscious so I can't ask him… I don't know, for God's sake! It's concussion, why the hell would he need that?" Leon snapped. What was with the one hundred and twenty questions?

"Just get the goddamned ambulance here!" He growled, the woman on the other end of the line seemed to get the message.

"They'll be there in five minutes. If your friend wakes up, get him to tell them the answers to those questions…" The woman then hung up. Leon glared at his phone, before picking up Cloud.

For a second he looked at the blonde's face. In this state he looked so… peaceful… His mask had gone… He looked like a child…

"I hope you aren't having a brain haemorrhage. I'd hate to have to tell your parents…" Leon whispered.

* * *

Cloud awakened in a hospital, his parents were sat there, looking worried. He grinned at them blearily.

"You didn't think I was in trouble, did you?" He asked. His mother laughed, throwing her arms around him and his father just beamed. He looked around, and pouted when he realised that Leon wasn't there…

"Who was it who brought you in? The nurse said it was someone with brown hair, was it Sora?" Eva asked. Cloud licked his lips.

"Er… No… It was Leon Leonhart," Cloud realised how stupid that name sounded. Who in their right mind would believe him that he had been rescued by someone named after their last name?

"Oh, Leon? I wasn't aware you were all that close?" Eva said, smiling knowingly. Cloud frowned, how the hell did his mom know Leon?

"He's a nice boy, Cloud. Not that Sora, or Kuja, aren't, but he's more… like you… You have more in common," Eva seemed to want to make Cloud cringe.

"Mooom! I'm not involved with him in that way. I can have friends you know!" Cloud moaned. His mother clasped her hands in delight.

"I knew it! Oh honey, I'm so happy for you!" She threw her arms around him. Cloud tried to pull away, but stuck in a bed, it was locked in his mother's embrace when Sora, Leon and Selphie entered the room.

"Er, Cloud?" Sora said. Blushing furiously, Cloud tried to place the mask on his features. It was too late, because Selphie squealed and jumped up and down.

"Are you blushing?" She squeaked. His mother gave him a triumphant smile.

"So I was right, huh?" She asked in an undertone. Cloud glared at her.

"You feeling okay?" Leon asked. Cloud swallowed and looked up at him. He nodded slowly.

"How stupid are you to trip up and fall over on a rock?" Sora asked, taking the seat nearest Cloud. Cloud blinked.

"I didn't…" He said before realisation dawned. "I mean, it's all hazy. I might have…" He stopped there, knowing how bad a liar he was.

"Er, thanks for that Cloud. I hit him with a bo. Knocked him pretty much senseless. His fault, he should have been paying attention," Leon said, a trace of humour in his voice. Uncharacteristically, Cloud stuck his tongue out.

"Aw!" Selphie said involuntarily. She got an elbow in the ribs from Sora, who himself was wearing a look of 'how cute'.

"Sora, don't you have a secret admirer to text?" Cloud asked. Sora looked up at the clock.

"Not for two hours. Isn't this going to be cosy?" Sora's grin turned evil. Cloud squirmed.

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

There's the secondary paring for you. In fact, the 'secondary pairing' get together first, so I guess they're more of a 'primary pairing'… Oh I dunno… Anyhow, please read and review.

I have a few questions that I'd like you to answer if you can be bothered:

Are Cloud or Leon a little too OOC? Is it getting too complicated with the parents? Is this story believable for a whirlwind romance fic? 


	5. Cloud's House

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Five:

Cloud's House

Author's Note:

Howdy, and welcome to the next chapter of STF. I'm not quite sure where this is headed anymore. I have quite a specific plan, but the characters are screwing it to bits. Damn you Cloud, you were supposed to win!

Anyhow, for those who loved Leon/Cloud, Riku/Sora, this is the ficcy for you, oh yes… Yes, this is shameless promotion, I care not. A bit of a break from the heavy theme of the last few chapters. Takes place a few weeks after the Cloud head injury incident.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to clarify somethings in the last chapter. What Riku says and what Riku does are two completely different things. With Riku's narratives you must read between the lines a little, because he wears a mask that prevents him from admitting feelings even to himself. Okies?

Sephiroth will be making an appearance in this ficcy, and I assure you, it will be quite dramatic.

I'm updating quickly this time because I really want to get this chapter out. I also wanted to reward the reviewers. More reviews, faster updates!

****

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

Riku glared at Sora from across the room. In his opinion it was the brunet's fault he was in detention. It had been Sora, not he, who had thrown the note. The fact that he'd been writing offensive language on it was nothing to do with the crime in question. Stupid Sora getting caught…

"Okay boys, you may go," Kikuta said. Riku got up, his chair scraping on the floor. He opened the door, letting it slam in Sora's face.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Sora demanded when they got down the corridor. It was empty, as should be expected for the end of a school day.

"You," Riku replied. Sora pouted.

"So you say I'm a problem, that you don't like me, so why are you trying to find out everything you can about me?" Sora demanded. Riku stopped, not quite sure what to answer. He wasn't quite sure where his desire to help Sora came from, perhaps it didn't come from anywhere, perhaps it was just something Riku felt driven to do.

Over the past few weeks, Riku had stopped hating Sora, he wasn't even sure he disliked the boy anymore, but he did like winding the boy up and teasing him hideously.

"Maybe I just want to find out your weaknesses?" Riku asked. Sora turned his cerulean eyes to Riku, and they blinked. For a moment, Riku felt rather lost, those eyes were so innocent…

"The dark. I'm afraid of the dark," Sora said suddenly. Riku broke the gaze, trying to regulate his breathing. What was the matter with him? He refused to believe that…

"Afraid of the dark? What are you, a girl?" Riku demanded. Sora tilted his head to one side, his large eyes, his wonderful eyes, slightly hollow.

"I can't help it. It's something psychological according to the psychiatrists," The brunet replied. Riku stopped.

"So, other than having a girly name, you have girly fears and you have to have girly chatting sessions with a shrink? You are a girl aren't you Sora?" Riku sneered. The brunet wasn't fazed.

"If I was a girl, would you date me?"

Whoa… Where did that come from? Riku blinked. Then he heard Sora laughing.

"I knew I'd come up with a good comeback someday!" Sora chuckled, keeping his steady pace. Riku scowled.

"Whatever, Sora-chan," He then darted around the corner before Sora realised what he'd said.

* * *

Sora sat in his biology lesson, before crying out as his phone vibrated against his leg. A few people turned to look at him, but the teacher didn't seem interested. Sora dug the phone out of his pocket, glancing down.

Hey Sora.

Sora smiled. It was 'Bob'. Over the last few weeks, the anonymous texter whom Sora had named 'Bob' had built up quite a firm relationship. Bob listened to all Sora's problems, through text message, and gave him honest answers.

However, Bob had made Sora promise never to phone him again. When Sora had asked why, Bob had replied that he would reveal his identity at dance before the spring holidays. Sora had been forced to accept this.

What's up?

Sora replied. He was used to Bob texting him all the time now. It was quite spontaneous, but Sora usually waited for him to text first. The mystery and the unpredictability made it even more exciting.

Nothing. Are you in class?

Sora smirked. A few people were watching him, wondering why he wasn't paying attention like usual.

Yeah, biology. I alredy no all this stuff. If there's 1 class I do well in, it's biology.

Sora sent the message. Only Selphie and Cloud knew about his relationship with Bob, and they were always interested to see the text messages. Sometimes they would sit down and try to work out who it was, but they never managed.

In the end, they decided that since Selphie's prank, anyone could have Sora's number. It was the irregularity of the number that made Cloud think that perhaps the person might be rich or have a fancy phone.

Sora didn't know anyone with a fancy phone, so he just decided to remain clueless. Besides, it was fun to guess…

You should know biology. What are you doing tonight?

Sora blushed. He wasn't quite sure where this was going…

No where. Y?

Sora gulped and waited for the reply.

I'll text you then. Look up slowly Sora…

Sora looked up to see the teacher looking directly at him, her mouth set in a thin line.

"I think I'll have your phone, Mr Hikka. You can collect it at the end of the lesson," She said, her voice was high pitched and sickeningly sweet. Sora trudged to the front of the class and handed in his phone.

He turned to see if he could catch the person who'd sent him the message putting their phone away, but all the guys were writing. All except Riku, who was smirking up at him evilly.

* * *

"Hey, girly boy!" Riku called. Sora turned around, looking at Riku with a look of distaste. Selphie looked at Riku, then at Sora, then at Kairi who was walking home with them.

"What do you want, Riku?" Sora demanded. Riku laughed.

"Here, I want you to have my number," Riku handed him a scrap of paper. Sora stared at it.

"Why?" He asked. Riku laughed.

"'Why'? Because everyone needs my number. I am a God, therefore everyone must have a way to contact me," Riku then flashed Kairi a smile.

"And of course for the lovely lady, I have a special card," Riku produced a heart shaped card and gave it to her with a small bow. Sora bristled, how dare he…

"Tee-hee, thank you Riku…" She giggled. Sora clenched his fists and felt a new wave of hatred for Riku. How dare that… that… that demon make moves on Kairi!

"Oh, and one for little Selphie too," Riku handed Selphie one shaped like a sunshine. Her face lit up, and Sora's eyes darkened. That was too much. His sister?

"Selphie, bin it," Sora growled. She looked up at her big brother, who was glaring at Riku.

"No," She replied. Riku smirked.

"Do it Selphie," Sora ordered.

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Because he's the only hot guy who's ever given me his number besides that Ansem guy, and he's scary!" Selphie exclaimed, promptly putting the number down her top. Sora rolled his eyes and gave up.

"Fine, side with him. Traitor," Sora said, though there was no venom in his words. He turned to Riku.

"Go away. Stop using me as a way to get to Kairi and Selphie," He snapped. Riku smirked and walked away. Selphie stared up at her brother defiantly.

"You!" Sora growled, and Selphie ran very fast and very far.

* * *

"Leon?" Riku poked his head around his brother's door. Leon looked up from his computer, flashing his brother a grin.

"What's up?" He asked. Riku padded in, sitting down on Leon's bed and curling up.

"Just wanted to talk," Riku mumbled. Leon swivelled around on his chair, studying his brother with a look of concern.

"About?" Leon pressed. Riku looked away.

"Am I being too much of an ass?" He asked. Leon looked directly at Riku, not quite knowing what to reply. Sure, Riku had always been a tough nut, perhaps more than any other person Leon knew, but at the same time he'd never been an ass without reason… Until Sora…

"You want the truth?" Leon asked. Riku nodded, or more he moved his head downwards and upwards slightly.

"Yes, you are. However, you've gone too far now to make it up to some people," Leon replied. Riku sighed and sat up, running his hand through his silver hair.

"I gave Sora my number… I'm not sure why… Leon, I'm freaking out. I don't dislike Sora, but when I'm around him… I have to push him away… Why? Why am I like I am?" Riku looked up to Leon with pleading eyes. That was a question that Leon couldn't answer.

"I don't know. I can't answer that question for you. I think you've got to figure it out," Leon replied, trying not to meet Riku's eyes.

"Well I can't! I can't discover who I am all by myself! I need help!" Riku looked away. "I'm scared…"

Leon bit down on his lip. Riku never admitted he was scared, he was fearless… Yet he was scared of himself… Of the way he was? That didn't make sense… Why would the way he was scare him so much? 

"I don't think I'm the one to help you," Leon said quietly. Riku began to rub his eyes, and Leon realised that Riku had been about to cry. What was wrong with his baby brother?

"Then who can?" Riku demanded. Leon clenched his fists.

"Riku, you've had many… lovers… But have you ever been in love?" Leon asked. He cursed himself for asking that question. Who was he to ask that question when he'd never been in love either?

"No," Riku's simple answer cut through the awkward silence.

"I think that whoever you fall in love with, they'll be able to help you. They'll be able to stop you being afraid. I can't. I'm your brother, not a fairy godmother," Leon then got up and sat next to Riku.

At any other time he would have been pushed away, but when Leon hugged Riku, and stroked his hair, for once, Riku relaxed into an embrace. Leon heard Riku sniff, and smiled. So his brother did have a heart…

"'nk you," He heard Riku whisper against his shoulder. Leon wrinkled up his nose in an 'aw' expression and stroked Riku's hair.

Beep beep beep. Beep beep beep.

Leon looked over at his phone. He couldn't reach it from where he was. It was Riku who shifted slightly, and Leon realised he had fallen asleep. He laid his brother down and grabbed his phone.

"Hello, Leon speaking," He answered. There was a slight squeak on the other end of the line.

"Um… Hey, it's… er… Cloud," He heard the nervous reply. Leon's grin got bigger. He looked at Riku and sat down on the computer chair, the phone pressed against his ear.

"What's the matter? You tripped and fallen over again?" Leon asked, sarcastically. He heard Cloud cough.

"No, guess again," Cloud replied. Leon leaned back, watching Riku's sleeping form.

"Okay… You want me to come and show you how to use a bo properly," Leon guessed. There was a laugh from the line, and Leon found himself blushing slightly.

"No, guess again," Cloud replied. Leon ran his hand through his hair.

"Right, so it's none of those… You want to invite me out," There was silence. Leon frowned, had Cloud hung up on him?

"Uh, yeah… You guessed it," Came the hesitant reply. Leon bit his lip. He looked at Riku's sleeping form.

"Where?" He asked. Cloud's voice answered immediately.

"My mom will bring you back to ours, if you'd like, she's working in your neighbourhood and she says she knows where you live," Cloud seemed a little more confident. Leon bit his lip.

"Hang on, let me just check with my mom," Leon said. He heard Cloud's chuckle.

"Seventeen and still checking things with your mom?" He ridiculed. Leon reminded himself that Cloud had no idea what had happened to his mom, and it was best to leave it that way.

"Yo mom?" He walked into his mother's room to see her and Eva chatting away happily.

"Mom? Cloud's invited me over, can I go?" He asked. He ignored the sniggers from the phone line.

"Shut up, you," He growled at Cloud. Eva smiled.

"Yeah, of course," Amy said. Leon bit his lip.

"Er, Riku's asleep on my bed, you know he sleeps like a log…" Leon trailed off at his mother's eerily set smile.

"Go out and leave me in peace," She said, making ushering motions. Eva stood up.

"Well Mrs. L, I'm off for today. I'll give Leon a lift," She offered. Amy smiled and said goodbye. Leon followed Eva outside and around the corner to her car.

It wasn't much. In fact, it looked like something that needed servicing quite badly. The paint was chipping, the bumper had a dent in it, and it was obviously about ten years old.

"She doesn't look much, but she drives well," Eva said, in response to Leon's stare. Blushing, Leon got in the car.

"Seat belt," Eva commanded playfully. Leon smiled and put his belt on.

"That's it," Eva smirked. Leon chuckled, Cloud's mom was fun. He immediately like her.

"So, how'd you get that scar?" She asked. Leon thought about it for a second, wondering if he should tell the truth.

"Back in New York, I was a street fighter to be perfectly honest. One day I was fighting and the bastard turned a knife on me, sliced straight through my forehead," Leon remembered the pain, and the smell of blood. He remembered the roar of the crowd at the sight of blood, how they were like a pack of hungry wolves waiting for one to fall.

He remembered grabbing the knife himself, slashing at his opponent's face, giving him a scar that was a mirror image of his own. He remembered the sheer joy he had when he had sent the six foot one blonde to the ground and kept his name clear…

"It's an honest answer I suppose. Why did you do it?" Eva asked. Leon blinked. Why?

It was an easy way to make money before they had inherited the money from his father…

"The money, the way that people regarded me as something other than a nobody, the way no one picked on me or my family anymore," Leon answered. Eva raised her eyebrows.

"So you didn't so it for yourself? You didn't do it for the glory?" She asked. Leon shook his head.

"That was just a bonus. I needed money for my mom's treatment at the time. Also, I wanted to be strong enough to protect Riku, who was pretty weak at that time. He was a nervous wreck," Leon wondered how Eva had managed to get him to tell her things that he'd never have told anyone else…

"So all this money is from your street fights?" Eva asked. Leon shook his head.

"No, my old man died, he left everything to me. I decided to use it for mom. We used the fighting money to put a deposit on the house, then we used my dad's money to buy it, and pay for mom's treatment," Leon explained. Eva smiled.

"You're mom is so lucky to have son's like you and Riku," She pulled into another road. Leon looked out of the window and was a little surprised. No neighbourhoods on the Destiny Islands were bad, but some were worse than others. This was a bad one…

"I'm sure Cloud would have done the same," Leon said. Reminding himself that he'd barely known Cloud for a month, and the last time he'd spoken to him was when he'd hit him round the head with a bo.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Eva said, a smile on her features. Unsure what she meant, Leon couldn't help but put on a puzzled frown.

"Cloud has issues that even I can't figure out. At times he can be as loving as a puppy, and others, he locks himself away. He's a bit of a lone wolf. He belongs to a pack, but within it, he's alone. I wish I could draw him out sometimes…" Eva sighed. Leon bit his lip. She was right…

"I'm sure there must be someone who can make Cloud open up?" Leon suggested. Eva's smiling mouth changed, her eyes became sad.

"Cloud hasn't exactly had a string of good relationships… His present boyfriend, Kuja, well… To be honest if the world was a movie, he'd be the one trying to take over the world. He seemed to hurt Cloud over and over again, but who am I to stop him? Cloud insists that he's happy…" Eva pulled up to a little house on the end of a row. It looked like every other house, except for the flowers and homely touches added to it.

"Kuja? I've heard of him… I think he's in my year…" Leon frowned, but his heart was sinking slightly. The idea that Cloud already had a boyfriend… Why was he even bothered?

"You'll have heard only bad things I have no doubt. In fact, you're soon going to meet him," Eva got out of the car. Leon followed suit.

"Why?" He asked. Eva pointed to a black harley down the road.

"That's his bike."

* * *

Sora lay on his bed, steaming. He did not have a girl's name! Stupid Riku! Now Riku, that was a girl's name!

"Sora?" Selphie bravely entered his room. Sora glared at her.

"What?" He demanded. She smiled nervously.

"Love you big brother," She said, her voice slightly pleading. Sora stood up, stalking towards her menacingly. He then picked her up in a fireman's lift and carried her around. She squealed and pounded her fists into his back. He laughed and spun around.

"What is going on up here?" Sora's father demanded. Sora dropped Selphie onto his bed, she squeaked and sat up.

"Um, sorry, sir. We were just playing," Selphie said, her voice barely above a whisper, quaking in fear.

"Playing? Since when do brothers and sisters play? Especially when they're fifteen and sixteen?" Their father demanded. Sora wasn't quite sure what their father was implying, but he wasn't going to stand for it.

"We were just messing around, like friends do," Sora explained, as though his father was simple. He surveyed the two teens with a look of disgust.

"Selphie, get to your room. Sora, don't bother coming down for dinner," He spat, and walked away. Selphie skulked away, and Sora lay on his bed.

"Honestly, why did he have children if he hates them so much?"

* * *

Cloud looked up from Kuja's face.

"I don't want to be with you anymore. Get that through your thick skull!" Cloud growled. Kuja sneered.

"You are nothing without me! I won't protect you anymore!" Kuja yelled. Cloud stood up, looking into Kuja's eyes.

"I don't need your protection anymore, because I am someone stronger than you are!" He then hit Kuja in the jaw, to demonstrate his point. Kuja staggered through the door and fell over his own feet.

"I'm stronger than you are. I don't need you anymore. You thought that you were using me but it was the other way around," Cloud spat, advancing on Kuja. He then saw his mother and Leon in the corner of his eye. He could hardly prove how strong he was when his mother was stood there, could he?

"Get out," He spat. Kuja smirked.

"So you are a little mummy's boy?" Kuja asked. Cloud rolled his eyes, before sending another punch in Kuja's direction. The white haired teen dodged it, but didn't dodge the other two.

"I told you to go away. I don't want to see you anymore! Leave now!" Cloud growled. Kuja shot him a look and left. It was then and then alone that Cloud looked at his knuckles.

"Ouch…" He rubbed the swollen knuckles. He felt a grim sense of pride that he'd finally got Kuja out of his life, but at the same time, he hated the fact that his mom, and Leon, had been there to witness that.

"Well, I wasn't quite expecting that…" His mother said after a second. Cloud looked up at her, trying his best innocent expression.

"That isn't going to work, Cloud," She said sternly. The blonde sighed.

"I had to get rid of him somehow. He was a prick and you know it mom. The only things that get through to him are physical things. So I hit him. If that's not a clear enough message, then I don't know what is…" Cloud then crossed his arms.

"Hey," Leon raised his hand. Cloud grinned at him. He wasn't sure why Leon's eyes looked so bright, but it made him feel strange…

"Hey…" Cloud said, and then the tension began. None of them knew quite where to look. Cloud settled on finally looking at his mom.

"Dad came back, then realised he was supposed to be somewhere else and left again. I'm not quite sure where," Cloud said. His mom nodded, and left the room to make herself a cup of coffee.

"Want anything?" She asked from the kitchen. Leon smiled.

"Coffee if you've got any," He said. Eva smiled. Cloud opened the door to his room.

"The usual mom!" He called, then gestured for Leon to go in. He sat on his bed, then cleared his throat.

"Sorry about that… He wasn't supposed to be here," Cloud apologised. Leon sat down on the bed, his back against the wall.

"Don't mention it," He replied. Cloud wondered what else to say. He had invited Leon around with the intention of getting know him better, but it was hard to say something that wouldn't make him seem stupid.

"How long had you been going out?" Leon asked. Cloud didn't really want to discuss this with Leon, but when he looked up, he saw that Leon's mask had almost completely disappeared. He was interested. Leon cared…

"About three months…" Cloud replied. Leon rested his head against the wall.

"Man, I don't think I've been in a relationship that's lasted over three days… No wait, there was that one that lasted a week…" Leon smirked. "Yeah, I kinda liked her…" Cloud's heart sank. Her. Female.

"A week huh? I assume that there was a lot of affection there," Cloud said, he hadn't meant to sound so cold. Leon's eyes snapped onto the blonde, and suddenly Cloud felt like Leon was checking him out. It felt weird, seeing as Leon's eyes didn't move from his own.

"I've only been in one relationship where there's been 'affection'. It was with someone named Makoto. He was older, it didn't work out…" Leon sighed. Cloud's ears pricked up. He? There is a God and he's smiling on me!

"Why are you smiling?" Leon questioned. Cloud quickly slammed a mask over his face.

"Doesn't matter," He replied. He saw Leon's puzzled and slight look of hurt.

"If you say so," Leon was now studying Cloud's chest. Blushing, Cloud looked at what was written on the T-shirt. 'Life's a Bitch, so am I…'. Leon chuckled.

"Nice T-shirt," Leon was still smiling when he changed his position, so he was lying on his stomach. It was a position that Cloud hadn't quite expected. It made Leon look like anyone else, not like the fighting tough guy he was. It was… cute…

"Thanks," Cloud said, not quite sure whether he should move or stay where he was. He decided to move so he could at least see Leon's face.

"What do you want to do?" Cloud asked. Leon shrugged. He's bored already. Think think think!

"Cloud, honey, here's your drinks," His mom called through the door. She then opened it, without waiting for a reply. Leon sat up, thanking Eva and giving her a smile. He then watched as Cloud took the drink from his mom, along with three small pills.

"There you go. I'm going out for an hour. I'll see you when I get back. If you or Leon get hungry there's cold pasta in the fridge. Bye, honey!" Eva called as she whizzed through the door.

Cloud looked down at his medication. Why couldn't she have been a little more discreet? Now Leon would ask what was wrong with him… It would probably freak him out…

"What's that?" Leon asked, looking at Cloud's drink. It looked like a flu drink, but it smelt salty, and quite frankly, gross. Well, Cloud drank it all in one, trying not to think of how it tasted. He saved a little for the tablets and swilled them down. He then clenched his fists.

"Can I have a sip of your coffee to get rid of the taste?" Cloud asked. Leon nodded and handed the mug over.

"Wait! You're not contagious, are you?" Leon asked. Cloud looked up at him and sipped the coffee before handing it back.

"I'm epileptic. You know what that is, right?" Cloud asked. Leon shook his head, and Cloud wondered how much Leon wanted to know.

"Seizures. I have good days and bad days, a good day I won't have any, a bad day and I'm off school. This week has been an okay week, I've only had three seizures," Cloud curled into a ball on his bed. Leon was looking at his weirdly. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad…

"Whoa, and I thought I had a tough time with my creaky knee. Man… Who else knows about this?" Leon asked. Cloud shrugged, studying Leon's face, trying to understand what was going through his head.

"Sora, Kairi, my parents, you," He listed. Leon began to fiddle with his sleeve. Cloud wasn't sure what to say now. They hadn't visited his favourite subjects so far…

"What… What is it like?" Leon asked, hesitantly. Cloud looked down.

"I don't know. I don't remember. The seizures are best described as thunderstorms, at times my head is all humid and stagnant, like before a storm, then there's the storm, or seizure, and the air clears. Some times, not very often, that stagnant state can last all day, and I can't respond to things because my brain just doesn't seem to respond," Cloud explained. Leon nodded.

"You can still watch Star Wars movies and go to laser shows and everything, right?" Leon asked. Cloud smiled.

"Yeah. I'm not photosensitive. They don't know what causes it, but the drugs I take slow the seizures down a little…" Cloud then stood up.

"C'mon, let's watch a DVD."

* * *

Leon walked home, knowing he could handle whatever this neighbourhood threw at him. His mind was filled with Cloud…

That kid definitely had it rough… Leon turned out of Cloud's road and bumped straight into Kuja…

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

Aw, poor Cloud… Anyhow, please review and tell me what you think. I know that Leon and Cloud's relationship is moving a little quickly, but this whole fic is fast paced. That's the whole point of it. It's meant to be 'Stranger Than Fiction'.

R&R

**Beta'd: 20/09/05**


	6. Kairi's Choice

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Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Six:

Kairi's Choice

Author's Note:

_You're all desperate to find out what happened to Leon, aren't you? Well, tough! Nah, just messin' with you. Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I love you all!_

_Um, the title is pretty self-explanatory really…_

_I've just read 'Let Me Love You' by RPGirl. Lemon overload . It's kind of cute though… In fact, it's mucho cute in places, but she has the kitten idea that I used in Heartagram. No fair L _.

Thank you for all the reviews, you're all so kind. I hope that by the time you get to the later chapters you'll still be as interested… grumbles something about this fic getting almost more than Heartagram in five chapters

Someone said it's obvious who the texter is, but, to be honest, I don't really think that 'Bob' is anyone. Sure, he was created by one of the characters within this fic, but he's a character, really, on his own…

****

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

"Hey Cloud, I have your boyfriend here. You know, he put up quite a good fight, but against eight of us it was rather hard…" Kuja's slimy voice said down the phone. Cloud ran his hands through his hair. He should have insisted on walking back with Leon…

"Cloud honey, I'm home!" His mom and dad walked through the door.

"Leave him alone Kuja!" Cloud growled, knowing his parents were listening. He felt the anger he'd been keeping back begin to break through the floodgates.

"Why? Oh wait, he's coming around…" Kuja laughed. There was the sound of ragged breathing.

"Bastard… You're not… man enough to fight me… without all your cronies," Leon's voice sounded hoarse and weak even to Cloud's ears.

"Maybe not," Kuja replied. Cloud felt the anger burst through.

"Kuja, you better run. I swear, if I get hold of you, I will kill you. Leave Leon alone! He's not my boyfriend, he's just a friend!" He yelled. There was laughter from the phone. That was it. Cloud cancelled the call and threw his phone onto the couch.

"Cloud, now don't do anything stupid…" His mother begged. He pushed passed her, wrenching open the door. If Kuja said one more thing out of line, Cloud would kill him. The anger at the white haired embodiment of evil was growing out of hand.

Cloud heard his parents hurried footfalls behind him, as he ran down the street. He saw them, nine figures stood, well, eight stood, one was bent over clutching their stomach.

"Little Cloud will come to your rescue. What will happen then do you think? Will you sacrifice yourself to stop the sun speck from getting hurt?" Kuja was sneering.

"If that's what it took," Leon's voice answered. Clous heard this and hated Kuja even more. He was willing to hurt someone because they tried to defend Cloud.

They didn't hear Cloud approach until he'd knocked out one of them. A number of kicks, blocks and punches later, and all except Cloud, Leon and Kuja were either running or crawling away from the scene.

Cloud heard his parents begin to walk across the road.

"Not so brave now, eh Kuja?" Cloud asked, his chest heaving from the running and the fighting. Kuja turned and ran. Cloud turned to Leon.

"You okay?" He asked. The brunet stood up and grinned.

"Is it going to be a common occurrence for us to be in fights together?" Leon asked. Cloud chuckled.

"Sorry about Kuja. He's an ass of the worst kind. I'll walk you the rest of the way home," Cloud said. Leon shook his head.

"That wouldn't be for the best. Say, Mrs. Strife, would you give me a lift?" Leon asked. Eva bit her lip.

"I've had too much to drink, so's John. Why don't you sleep around ours for tonight? You can borrow something to sleep in," Eva suggested. Leon nodded, getting his phone out of his pocket and dialling Riku's number.

"Leon? Where are you?" Riku asked sharply. Leon wondered why his brother sounded so anxious.

"At Cloud's house. Why?" He asked. There was silence.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to know where you are. There's only one reason why you'd phone me instead of the house phone. You're staying there, aren't you?" Riku asked. Leon smiled, loving how his brother guessed those things.

"You guessed it, baby bro. Listen, tell mom I'll be back tomorrow night…" He was about to put the phone down then he remembered.

"Oh and Riku, make sure you're nice to Sora tomorrow, like always," He winked at Cloud, who grinned.

"Of course I will be my usual charming self," Riku replied, then hung up. Leon shrugged and put the phone back in his pocket. Cloud was smiling at him in a way that made him feel strange.

Could it be that… Cloud?

"Well, come on then," Cloud said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world for Leon to be stopping the night in his house.

Feeling slightly apprehensive, considering the way that Cloud made him drop all the masks he'd worked do long to build, Leon followed the Strife family into their house.

* * *

Leon woke up and stretched. Then he remembered where he was. He opened his eyes to see a pair of blue ones directly opposite. For a moment both of them seemed shocked, then Leon saw the blush forming on Cloud's cheeks, but the way that he seemed unable to look away.

Leon found that he too, was lost in the blue of Cloud's eyes. It wasn't until the alarm went off that Cloud moved, to turn it off. The moment was lost, but Leon's heart was beating so fast that he was sure that Cloud could hear it.

"Um… You can use the shower first, if you'd like?" Cloud said. Leon sat up, cursing himself in his head.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," He replied. He stood up, walking down the hall into the bathroom. He shut the door and leaned against it. What was he doing? He was falling for Cloud, that's what…

Why? Why the hell now as well?

Cursing, Leon turned on the shower. It had been bad enough last night when Cloud had mumbled something about either sleeping on the couch or the bed. When Leon had said he didn't mind if Cloud slept on the bed as well, seeing as it was a double anyhow, Cloud had blushed.

At the same time, Leon looked on the positive side, there was a chance that Cloud might like him back…

"Um, Leon? I, er, need something from the bathroom. Are you decent?" Cloud called through. Leon gasped and cleared his throat. He guessed the shower glass was steamed up enough…

"Just don't look at the shower," Leon called back. He heard the door open, and a rustling sound, then silence. No door shutting, nothing. What was Cloud doing?

"Er, Cloud?" He asked. There was no response. Leon bit his lip, then rubbed a patch of the fogged up glass. Cloud was staring straight ahead of him, eyes unseeing. Leon frowned, then all that Cloud had said the night before slammed into him.

Jumping out of the shower, Leon grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. He walked towards Cloud, then suddenly, the blonde's arms and legs went rigid. He fell backwards, into Leon's waiting arms.

For a few seconds, Cloud trembled. Then he went limp. Finally, he opened his eyes, blinking up at Leon's face.

"You okay?" Leon asked. Cloud smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Sorry about that…" He said. There was silence in the room. Leon helped Cloud up and then he adjusted the towel around his waist. It was then that he realised how scared he had been.

It was frightening how Cloud would have just fallen, perhaps banged his head against the sink. He could have seriously hurt himself. How could his parents be so lenient?

"Can I have the shower now?" Cloud asked. He seemed unaffected. Leon blinked at him.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked. The idea of Cloud drowning in the shower fell into his mind. Cloud looked at him, then laughed.

"It's okay Leon, really, I'm fine. You finish getting ready, I'll meet you in the kitchen," Cloud then shooed him out of the room. Leon paced around in the kitchen, five minutes later.

Eva walked in and smiled at him warmly.

"Why are you looking so worried?" She asked. Leon clenched his fists.

"Cloud had a seizure in the bathroom," He said quietly. Eva's eyes changed.

"It's a shame that he has this, but it's something that can't be helped… We can't wrap him in cotton wool, for one thing, he wouldn't stand for it," Eva said gently.

"Damn right I wouldn't," Cloud replied, from the doorway. Leon looked down, guilty at being caught discussing him with his mom. Cloud stepped into the room, opening a cupboard and taking down bottle after bottle of medication.

"Right…" Cloud said, after downing about six tablets. Leon felt the bubbling feelings spread from his stomach. The butterflies turned into sparrows, the sparrows into gulls, and the gulls into albatrosses.

"We-we better get going," Leon stuttered. Cloud shrugged and disappeared from the room. Leon was about to follow him when Eva reached out a hand.

"You can worry all you like about him, but you'll only make him dislike you. Cloud lives for the moment, not worrying about the future because it hasn't happened yet. You should too," With that Eva stood up and left the room to get her care keys.

Leon stared, wondering why such a remarkable family were stuck in a neighbourhood like this…

* * *

Kairi smiled as she leaned against her locker. She was going to decide today. She smiled seductively as Riku and Leon walked passed. Riku smiled back, and Leon just ignored her.

She didn't even notice Sora until he was stood beside her. She felt a tug on her elbow.

"What are you doing!" Sora asked. Kairi blinked at him.

"What does it look like?" She replied. Sora rolled his eyes and then his grip on her arm tightened.

"Kairi, if you're picking out your new boyfriend today, don't pick him," Sora pleaded. Kairi turned her eyes to Sora's, burning into them. Sora refused to look away.

"What, pick you instead?" She said finally. Sora's face screwed up into a frown.

"No! For God's sake, Kairi! Why are you such a bi-" Sora stopped when Selphie and Yuffie walked over. Selphie looked miserable, and Yuffie's eyes were strangely dull.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked. Yuffie and Selphie both produced little flower number cards. On them was the number that was supposedly Riku's.

"It's not Riku's number," Yuffie looked close to crying. "It's the Chicago Bull's box office!" She wailed. Kairi smiled, evilly. Sora frowned, and looked at Selphie.

"Same for you too?" He asked. Selphie shook her head.

"Huh? Sorry, what were you saying?" She asked. Sora frowned and then he saw it, on Selphie's upper arm, a yellowing bruise… A hand grip…

"No… He didn't…" Sora said before he could stop himself. He then pulled Selphie into a tight hug, trying to calm his angry thoughts. Selphie, darling Selphie Sunshine… How could that evil bastard?

"Oh hi Riku," Kairi said casually. Sora's eyes snapped open to see Riku's smirking face.

"I wanted to talk to you Kairi. I heard from Selphie that you were close to being ready for another relationship. I had first dibs, remember?" Riku flashed his charming grin. He then noticed Sora, and Selphie. His grin turned malicious.

"The incest continues then? That's illegal you know-" Riku stepped backwards as Sora released his hold on Selphie.

"Nervous Riku?" Sora laughed. Riku blinked at him then clenched his fists.

"Leave him Riku, he has stronger friends," Leon warned. Riku looked up at him.

"What?" He demanded. Leon looked over his shoulder where Cloud was walking down.

"You're kidding? Blondie over there?" Riku snorted. Leon shook his head.

"Riku! You listen to me, you said you hated who you are, now for God's sake, change!" Leon growled, before walking away. Riku watched him for a moment, as though he was an interesting trinket, then turned back to Kairi.

Cloud entered the little group.

"What got Leon pissed?" He asked. Sora shrugged and noted that Cloud looked a little… Bright… It was unusual… Cloud looked happy…

"See you around, Kairi," Riku walked away. Cloud raised his eyebrows, Sora growled low in his throat and Kairi smiled dreamily.

* * *

I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Riku. I hate Ri

"That's not healthy," Cloud said quietly. Sora glanced up and smiled sheepishly.

"Probably not… I just want to fill up the page with something that might look like work if a teacher looked over," Sora lied. Cloud could tell he was lying. He did that funny thing with his eye…

Glancing at the teacher, Cloud took out his phone, hastily checking his text messages.

"Who could be texting Cloudy then?" Sora teased. Cloud grinned.

"A hot sex god who spent the night at my house last night," Cloud replied. Sora's jaw dropped.

"What!" He asked. Cloud felt a little mean for doing this to Sora, but at the same time, his mischievous side got the better of him. Contrary to popular belief, Cloud did have a mischievous side.

"Leon spent the night round mine," He said, casually as though it happened all the time. Sora mouthed soundlessly.

"What about your parents?" He asked. Cloud knew that he was grinning, he couldn't help it.

"Oh, my mom and dad went out for a while…" The blonde lied. Sora's eyes looked about to pop out of his head.

"No way! You can't be serious!" Sora looked about to choke on air. Cloud licked his lips.

"Uh-huh, hot, violent sex on the kitchen table," Cloud said casually. It didn't help that at that moment, the bell went, and the first person they walked into was Leon.

"You're not screwing Cloud, right?" Sora said immediately. Cloud wanted the ground to swallow him up. Leon blinked at the brunet then looked up at Cloud. He then smirked broadly.

"You have a problem?" Leon asked. Cloud stared, why wasn't Leon disgusted? Why wasn't he denying it? Why did that simple innuendo make Cloud feel so much hope. Pathetic… You're so pathetic…

"No way…" Sora breathed.

"See you later, at my place," Cloud winked. Before he knew it, Leon had blown him a kiss. Sora looked about to pass out.

"My virgin brain…" Sora complained. Cloud chuckled.

"Sora, we're screwing with you. Leon did spend the night round mine, but there was not hot, violent sex on the table," God how I wish there had been… No! Bad Cloud!

"I feel stupid…" Sora mumbled. Leon laughed, and Cloud immediately felt a shiver pass through his body. He wouldn't meet Leon's eyes, he was too scared. What was going on inside his head?

"C'mon, we'll be late for our next lesson," Cloud ushered Sora away. Leon stared after them, smiling and wondering. Wondering if perhaps Cloud felt the same way he did… Shame he was too damn chicken to find out…

* * *

Kairi smiled at the one she had chosen. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss her. She gladly allowed him to, noting how gentle he was, noting how he wasn't pressurising, noting how he was just perfect. Before Kairi knew it, she was in love. Perhaps it was the kiss, or the words he mumbled to her after the kiss? Perhaps it was the way he gave jealous looks at those around her, being too shy just to walk over…

She pressed her lips against his once more.

"Kairi, I love you," He whispered. Kairi pulled back.

"We've only been going out for a quarter of an hour," She said, checking her watch. He smiled and pulled her close again.

"I've really liked you ever since I first moved here… For three years I just watched you. I guess I fell in love with you the first time you spoke to me. You were on the cheerleading team, remember?" He asked. She giggled.

How could she forget? The rising star of county blitzball? He'd obliterated the opposing team, with the help of Wakka. There had been such a great party atmosphere.

At the spur of the moment, Kairi had posed for a photo in which both of them stood holding the trophy. Kairi, the leader of the cheerleaders, and Tidus, the star player of the school blitz team.

They'd talked about the game, about music, about everything. He'd even walked her home… Then it had teetered out… There had been no contact again until recently, when they began taking classes again.

It was then that Kairi first began to show interest in him as a boyfriend. The problem was choosing between Riku, him and Sora. Well, he'd asked her out first…

"So, you wanna go out on Saturday?" Tidus asked. Kairi bit her lip.

"I can't. I promised I'd help Yuffie study," She apologised. Tidus didn't seem fazed.

"That's okay… What about tonight? My mom's a great cook and she can whip up something real good for us both. She won't bother us either…" Tidus winked. Kairi chuckled, and nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like that…" A lot…

"You wanna buzz your parents then, to tell them you're coming over?" He asked. Kairi smiled.

"I think I'll go home, get changed and make myself beautiful before I meet your parents," She said. Tidus pulled her towards him once more, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You're already beautiful, you don't need to try…" He tried to steal another kiss, but Kairi turned her face away last minute. He looked at her, confused and slightly hurt.

"Riku… Um… Hi…" She smiled guiltily. Tidus turned around, the look of confusion still printed on his face.

"I thought you said-" Riku began. Kairi shook her head.

"No, you said that you were going to be my boyfriend. I didn't say anything," She said, coldly. Riku mouthed at her soundlessly, then she saw his eyes flash dangerously.

"What about Sora? You just going to leave him out in the cold too?" He snapped. Kairi folded her arms.

"Why would you care?" She demanded. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Sora actually went out with you? Jesus, he must have been screwed up… Anyhow, just so you know, I'm gay, so I wasn't interested in you in any way except as a way to get at Sora. See you," Riku walked away. _GAY?_

"What the hell?" Tidus rubbed the back of his neck. Kairi bit her lip.

"Let's keep that little conversation to ourselves, yeah?" Kairi asked. Tidus grinned at her.

"Will do, now, where were we?"

* * *

_Stupid dumb Kairi, wrecking all my plans…_

"Sora! Wait! I need to talk to you!" Riku wondered why the hell he was running to catch up with Sora of all people… It wasn't like it couldn't wait until tomorrow.

"Kairi chose her boyfriend," He said. Sora pouted slightly.

"Not you?" He said. Riku smirked.

"No, Tidus," He replied. Sora looked relieved.

"Bye!" The brunet ran away, up a side street. Riku watched him go, wondering why on earth it felt so funny.

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

Sorry about the shorter chapter. I couldn't really find the inspiration to write anything more for a chapter written on Kairi. I never intended her to be portrayed so evilly…

Buh-bye!


	7. Attraction

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Seven:

Attraction

Author's Note:

Here's another chapter. Cheers for the reviews buys a round of drinks for the reviewers. Oh, and Riku wants to express his thanks too. Riku appears and gives all the reviewers a kiss Don't you feel special now?

I was wondering how to write this chapter, seeing as it's important but at the same time it doesn't change anything. It's a kind of… Nice chapter, but I wanted it a bit more… bittersweet?

Thank you for sixty reviews (an average of 10 per chapter!) This is the best I've ever done on a fic before!

****

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

The warm weather changed at the end of September, and the leaves began to fall from the trees. October came and went, and the friendships and rivalries became stronger.

Perhaps if someone had looked closely at the rivalry between Riku and Sora, they might have seen a slightly playful hint in it. There was certainly no hatred anymore. At least, not that was apparent.

It was most likely Kairi and Tidus' relationship that brought the two together. They no longer were fighting over a girl that neither of them wanted. Sometimes, those watching the witty exchange of insults, the hidden smiles and sniggers, the passionate competition on everything, would comment that they were more like husband and wife. Some remarked that they could be brothers or childhood friends, rather than bitter rivals.

A few noticed the change in Cloud as well. Although he and Sora were still obviously close, they no longer spent all their time together. Cloud could often be found hanging around with Leon and the older students in his spare time.

Leon… Now he'd shaken things up a little. Until he'd come along, there had been a bit of divide between the years, but he seemed to have time for everyone. He explained to those who asked that he had once been an outsider and had locked himself away within himself. Now he had friends, he liked to be popular.

Some just thought he was an ass. Some just thought he was actually some demon come to steal all their women. Of course, Leon hadn't dated a single person since he came to school, which caused other rumours. Leon was taken. Leon was having a secret affair with a sophomore. Leon was screwing the principal. Leon and Riku were having an incestuous relationship. The rumours became more and more ridiculous. What fuelled them was the fact that Leon never told anyone about his past. He didn't tell them anything specific, rather. People were left guessing and making up their own theories.

Perhaps there were two people in the school who knew Leon. One was of course, Riku, and the two were almost attached at the hip, the other was Cloud, who seemed to have become closer to Leon in a different way to everyone else. It was said that Leon had saved Cloud's life one night. Then Cloud had saved Leon's life. Now the two were inseparably bonded by fate. Although the idea was a romantically warped version of the truth, the two just laughed it off with a shrug.

It was a good job that none of them cared about their reputations…

It was during the first frost of November, when Riku and Leon were walking home from their martial arts training, another change for the two was to take up Kendo, when something began to change…

Riku laughed. He loved the cold weather. He never knew why. Perhaps because he was a big kid and always secretly hoped it would snow. If there was one thing he loved, it was snow.

"You're such a dork…" Leon laughed, ruffling his brother's hair. Riku put on his 'I'm-a-pathetically-cute-baby-brother-don't-pick-on-me' pout and Leon couldn't help but 'Awww…'

"So, what's the deal with you and Cloud?" Riku asked suddenly. Leon choked on his own tongue, catching Riku grinning slyly.

"Nothing's 'going on'! Even if it were, it's none of your business, remember?" Leon snapped. Riku's grin got wider.

"Oh, it's just that I noticed you were flirting with him all the way through Yuna's Halloween party. Not that he looked like he minded," Riku looked at Leon through the corner of his eye. Leon personally, felt like tying his brother up by his fluffy grey scarf and leaving him in the middle of the road for the next car.

"Like I said, mind your own business…" Leon said through clenched teeth. Riku, realising his brother's discomfort, finally dropped the subject.

For a while after that, they walked in silence. Leon was silently fuming. What right had Riku to say anything about him and Cloud. They were friends, that was all. That was all so far, anyhow…

"Say, isn't that Sora?" Riku suddenly said. Sure enough, Sora was running out of a side street. He skidded to a halt, looking over his shoulder.

"Get back here, you little runt!" A deep man's voice yelled. Sora looked over his shoulder.

"Run Sora! Please!" Selphie's voice rang out. Riku gave Leon a panicked look. A black car pulled up and Sora was yanked in. The two brothers ran forward, but the car had sped away before they got to it.

"You think he's in some kind of trouble?" Leon asked. Riku didn't say anything. Sora's strange bruises could be related to anything, but if he was wanted by a gang or perhaps even just one man, there could be a problem…

"I don't know… Whoever it was, they had Selphie too… Sora will do anything they want so they don't hurt her…" Riku said quietly. Leon looked down at his little brother, seeing the worry printed on Riku's face.

"You… You like him, don't you?" Leon said, after careful consideration. His tone was heavy, as though Riku's answer was terribly important. Riku turned his sad, worried, aquamarine eyes up towards Leon's storm grey ones.

"Yeah, I think I do…"

* * *

Sora crossed his arms and looked out the window. He was kind of glad it was his uncle, not his father. At least his uncle wouldn't hit him. It was probably worse, Cid gave him the silent treatment…

It had been Cid who had found the note that explained that Sora was running away. He'd then found Selphie and forced her to help him find Sora. It had simply been a matter of time.

Sora, Selphie and Cid had always got on. Cid was from his mother's side of the family, and was a kind man by nature. He was happy almost constantly, except now, when he looked tired and drawn.

"Why?" He asked quietly.

"Why? Why? What am I supposed to do Cid? I don't like it there. They aren't parents, they're monsters!" Sora yelled. Cid looked slightly taken aback by the tears in Sora eyes. He saw Selphie's hesitant arm wrap around him.

It was one of those really expensive cars, with seats in the back that faced each other. Cid was sat in front of the two children, for in his eyes, that's all they were, and waited for an explanation that he needed to receive.

"What makes you say that? Did they not let you go out or something?" Cid asked sarcsatically. Sora turned his face up to Cid's, then he unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off.

Scars adorned his back. Bruises yellow, blue and black were scattered as though someone had got a big paint brush and painted them on liberally. He looked out the window.

"Shit kid… How on Earth did you get those?" Cid's cigarette fell out of his mouth. He quickly stamped it out before he set fire to something. Selphie laughed, her laugh shrill, hysterical.

"Our dad isn't the nicest guy in the world, is he Cid? And mom? She just lets him. I'm lucky, I don't get noticed, I'm only a girl, and a younger girl too. Sora… Sora is the one they gang up on…" Selphie began to sob. Sora didn't move to try to comfort her.

Cid collected himself hurriedly. He was tempted just to leave with the kids, but he knew he just couldn't do that. Something drastic had to happen though… But what? What could he do?

"Shit Sora… I didn't know… Have you… Have you ever reported it?" Cid asked. Sora shook his head.

"My dad has too much money, knows too many people in the system. We'd never get away. Then we're just be in a worse situation. We have two options, get thrown out, or runaway…" Sora's voice trailed off. So Sora had runaway after a beating then?

"I wish I was in the country often enough to be here for you two… You have mobile phones?" Cid asked. Sora smirked.

"Secret ones that our parents don't know about? Yeah, yeah we do…" Sora held his up. At the same time, he received a message. He looked down at the phone, and opened the message.

Sora, it's me, Riku. We saw you get pulled into that black car. You okay?

Sora blinked for a second, then he smiled.

"Who is it?" Selphie asked. Sora showed her and she grinned.

"Told you he wasn't a complete ass!" She giggled. Cid waited for the little exchange to finish. Sora quickly text back.

I'm fine. Since wen ave u worried bout me neway? Was my uncle. He's a bit ruff wiv his words.

He left it there, then turned to Cid.

"Give me your phone, I'll program my number into it," Sora said. Cid gave him his phone, allowing Sora to put both his and Selphie's number in.

"I'll call you at least once a week. If it happens again, tell me and I'll be round in a flash. I'll check up on you two when I can, okay?" Cid asked. Sora and Selphie nodded.

I was worried Sora… Trust me, I was scared for you…

* * *

The next day at school, Riku didn't meet Sora's eyes. He knew he would blush, and that just wasn't him. He felt scared, scared that Sora would freak out…

"I think I'm becoming obsessed with text messages…" Sora said, finally. He had been texting people all morning, and the little clicks and beeps were getting rather annoying. Kairi sniggered.

"Yeah, only because of that 'Bob' guy. You know, you really shouldn't have told Selphie… She told Yuffie, who told me. Luckily, I only told Tidus," Kairi saw the look on Sora's face. He blushed bright red, but he looked a little bit… Happy…

"Bob?" Riku asked. Who was this Bob? When did it happen? It wasn't supposed to damn it! Sora blushed.

"Um… He's a guy who's been sending me text messages… He's kind of like… Well… He's my boyfriend. He refuses to tell me his name so I use the name 'Bob'. There, go on I know you're dying to say it…" Sora trailed off miserably. Riku blinked.

"Dying to say what?" He asked. Sora frowned.

"Fag, or queer or something…" The brunet replied. Riku chuckled.

"Why would I?" Riku replied. Sora didn't know what to reply to that… Riku looked into Sora's eyes, seeing the confusion he laughed.

"I know 'Bob' as you call him. In fact, I know him probably as well as you do. He's very… direct in a vague way, right? And he likes 'berries'?" Riku asked. He took in Sora's shocked expression with a hint of glee. So Sora really liked Bob huh?

"He's texting you too?" Sora asked. Riku pondered his answer for a second. Riku knew Bob well enough, because in fact, he was Bob. He had originally created the character to wind Sora up. Sometime during their texting, he'd begun to like it, to take it seriously…

"No. Well, not in the same way he's been texting you… I'll tell him what you call him…" Riku grinned at Sora's disbelieving stare.

"Who is he?" Sora demanded. Riku chuckled, hoping that he didn't give it away.

"That's for me to know and you to find out…"

Sora spent the rest of the day badgering Riku about 'Bob'. Of course, it made Riku feel all strange at first, but eventually it got the better of him.

"Is he really good enough for you to keep on at me like this?" Riku snapped during their physics class. Sora blinked, then a dreamy smile passed across his face.

"Yes! Yes he is!" Sora replied. Riku snorted.

"You haven't got a clue, Sora. You don't have a clue who the hell he is. How can you possibly care that much? You're naïve Sora!" But inside, Riku felt a little tingle in the pit of his stomach.

This lusting after the brunet was beginning to get the better of him. What was he supposed to do? Sora talked about Bob/Riku like he was some kind of God. Riku wondered if he admitted he was 'Bob' if Sora would still be as infatuated.

"Maybe I am, but I'm happy that way," Sora replied. Riku rolled his eyes. Happy being ignorant… Somehow, he wasn't sure if Sora was telling the truth. Perhaps the way that Sora had been annoying the hell out of him all day contradicted that statement slightly.

"Master Leonhart? Your brother is outside," Jally said suddenly. Riku looked to the door to see Leon, looking rather ill, outside. He got up, a little glad at being pulled away from Sora.

"What is it?" Riku asked. Leon was looking exceptionally pale.

"I'm going home, not feeling too good. No doubt I have one hell of a cold. I want you to just get some things I promised I'd get on the way home. Groceries. I wrote them down here for you," Leon handed him a scrap of paper. Sure enough there was a grocery list.

"Anything else?" Riku asked sincerely. Leon smiled at him.

"A DVD to watch later? One for mom, one for us?" Leon suggested. Riku nodded, then hugged his brother before darting back inside the classroom.

* * *

Sora watched Riku leave the classroom, feeling more than a little disappointed. He really wanted to know who Bob was, but he was afraid now, after what Riku had said. Perhaps it was better not knowing who he was? Perhaps it was better talking to him through text message, finding out about him…

He watched as Leon handed Riku and bit of paper. They talked for a few more seconds, then to the class' surprise (as most found the muted conversation from outside far more interesting than the intricacies of physics) Riku hugged his brother. Leon ruffled his hair affectionately, and Riku walked back into the classroom.

Everyone watched him, and he just lapped up the attention. Sitting down next to Sora, Riku grinned at him.

"What?" He asked.

"That's going to fuel that incest rumour," Kairi joked. Half the class laughed, including Riku himself.

"Can I make it clear that I have never, and shall never, screw my brother?" Riku asked. The class were still tittering five minutes later as the conversation continued. In the end, Kairi managed to twist Riku's words to make it sound as though he'd been having a passionate affair with Leon.

Sora felt sorry for Riku, who was trying his hardest. Kairi was great at debate however, and didn't give him time to think like most people.

Sora looked over at Cloud, who was the only one not laughing. The blonde was frowning, his arms crossed. He looked slightly sulky… Sora couldn't help it, he wrinkled up his nose and made an 'Aww' sound. This caught Riku's attention.

"Huh?" The silver haired smart-ass said. Sora gestured to Cloud, who'd zoned out, a pout on his lips. Riku smirked.

"Let him get on with it," He said his voice low so as not to let Cloud know what was being said. "He'll get his share."

Sora pondered this entire sentence's many meanings and decided that there could only be one logical explanation of that. Leon liked Cloud back.

"When are they going to actually get together then?" Sora asked in his conspirator's whisper. Riku grinned.

"Dunno. When they do I guess…" Riku and Sora watched the zoned out Cloud, shaking their heads in almost synchronisation.

"Poor, poor Cloud… He doesn't even get a knight in shining armour, he gets an ugly mutt on a mule… Shame…" Riku sniggered and went back to trying to sound as though he wasn't having a relationship with his brother.

* * *

Cloud wandered out of the classroom. Lunch, great. This is just another opportunity for there to be even more rumours spread about Leon. Doesn't it get him down?

"Hey!" He heard someone call. He ignored them. He wasn't in the mood for talking to people right now. He appreciated that Sora had realised that and gone off with Kairi somewhere. Riku had tagged along of course, he pretty much always did nowadays for some reason. Probably to annoy the hell out of Sora…

"Wait!" The person yelled again. Cloud walked faster, if he made it to the car park he could just wander of the premises, then take a little walk down a few alleys and they'd be gone…

"Cloud!" Damn, he couldn't ignore that. Reluctantly he stopped, not turning around. His heart began to beat faster when he saw that the person who was trying to get his attention was in fact, Leon. Leon… The person he'd been thinking about all day…

"Why didn't you stop?" The brunet questioned. Cloud bit the inside of his cheek. The truth?

"I wanted to be alone for a while," Cloud said. Leon's face fell, and Cloud felt guilty immediately.

"Oh… Oh right…" Leon's face became falsely cheerful. "Okay, I'll see you later…" He turned, but Cloud couldn't help it. He grabbed Leon's hand, blushing as skin made contact. Leon didn't face him but didn't pull away either. Encouraged, Cloud tried to speak.

"No, I don't mind if you come with me. I just wanted to think, but I don't want to be… lonely…" Cloud forced the last word out. What are you doing? Are you… grovelling? Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic…

"If you want some time alone, don't worry about me I-" Cloud withdrew his hand, walking in front of Leon. His eyes were hidden underneath his long unruly chocolate hair.

"No, I want you to come with me," Cloud said. You could make that sound dirty… STOP IT BRAIN! NO! DON'T EVEN THINK THAT!

"I want to go with you too…" Leon said finally. Cloud felt the blush giving way to a smile. Leon looked up, and smiled too.

"I've had the worst day," Cloud began. Leon chuckled.

"At least no one thinks you're having an affair with your brother…" He replied. Cloud glanced up at Leon, wondering why this was the first time Leon had mentioned it. And besides, wasn't he supposed to be going home? What was he doing here?

"Um… Why are you here?" Cloud asked suddenly. Leon looked slightly offended, then the question sank in. He grinned.

"Me? Well, I complained I didn't feel well, made myself sick, (don't worry, I've brushed my teeth), gave Riku all my chores and then got myself the lunch hour and your free lessons. Then I thought perhaps you'd like to hang out down the mall for a bit?" Leon explained. Cloud looked away. 'Hang out down the mall'… Wow… It had never been so appealing before…

"Sure, I mean, why not? We can go now if you like. I don't mind skipping the registrations, my mom doesn't really care about free lessons," Cloud said. Leon smirked.

"I think I'm turning little Cloudy into a bad boy," He teased. Cloud laughed. _If only you knew what I do with my imagination when you're around. BRAIN I HATE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL!_

"Was already a bad boy before, but had no one to be a bad boy with," Cloud replied. Leon raised his eyebrows. _Shit, two meanings there… Oh well… Too late now…_

"C'mon, I know this really good ice cream parlour hidden away down one of the side streets in town," Cloud shoved his bag into his locker and lead the way. Leon walked behind him, going through their conversation so far and wondering if Cloud was hinting at anything...

* * *

Riku grabbed a basket and got all the groceries. It was while he was getting the milk that he realised someone was watching him. Selphie was stood there, watching him with wide eyes. What? Did he have something on his face or something?

"Full of surprises today Riku, eh?" Sora asked. Riku glared at Sora, putting the milk into the basket. He noted that all Sora had clutched in his fists was candy.

"Oh dear… That'll make you fat that will," Riku commented. Sora handed the chocolate and sweets to Selphie and peered into Riku's basket. Milk, bread, lettuce, eggs, pizza and two DVDs…

"Why are you getting that?" Sora asked. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Because my mom asked me to. Well, more precisely, she asked Leon to, but he's ill, so I had to instead," Riku didn't like the way Sora was suddenly grinning.

"Leon's ill? But he and Cloud skipped class to go to the mall together this afternoon. Guess he was lying to you…" Sora laughed at Riku's face. He would have just dropped the basket and walked out, but he knew that he'd have to get it because of his mom.

"I'll kill him…" Riku growled. He stalked off to the checkout, and was surprised when Sora helped him pack the bags. The brunet also carried one for him until their ways parted. Sora was heading into a classier part of town, while Riku was heading to the more middling area.

"I'll see you tomorrow Riku," Sora handed him the bag. Riku felt tempted to ask why he'd helped, but he knew that would sound… Wrong? Hopeful? Spiteful? Ungrateful? One of them.

"Thanks a lot," He smiled. Sora smiled back then crossed the road, waving goodbye. Riku nodded once to acknowledge it and walked the rest of the way home alone, plotting ways to get his revenge.

* * *

Cloud pulled Leon into an ice cream parlour tucked away down a side street. It didn't seem like an ice cream parlour at all, more like an old English tea-room. However, Cloud pointed out that the menu was purely ice cream.

They picked a table that overlooked the sea, watching as the waves crashed against the beach. The grey sky made it a slightly depressing sight, but Leon watched, entranced. Sure he'd seen the sea before, he'd been brought up in New York, but… He'd never seen it like this. It seemed like all it would take was a big wave and it would cover the island…

"It's lovely here, isn't it?" Cloud said after a while. Leon nodded his agreement, watching the sea still. Their ice creams were put down in front of them. It was then that Leon took in what he'd ordered.

He had never been one for overly sweet things, so he'd ordered what the parlous called a 'Sweet and Sour Shaker'. Whatever that was.

Now Leon knew what it was. It looked expensive… It had large pieces of fruit in it and lemon and lime ice cream. He looked over at Cloud, who had a simple vanilla thing.

"Those things are hell to stomach…" Cloud warned. Leon hesitantly scooped up a little and put it in his mouth. He immediately felt the sour effect take hold. He spluttered and pulled a face. Cloud laughed.

"Alright! You try some," Leon held out his spoon. Cloud leaned forward, and Leon found himself transfixed. Cloud's lips parted slightly, his mouth went around the spoon… Leon blamed it on teenage hormones…

"Ugh!" Cloud's face screwed up and the moment was lost. But Leon still felt the pangs of… of whatever it was… Damnit! What was wrong with him. Cloud was his friend, even though he might have a teensy little crush, that didn't give him the right to act like a lovesick fool…

"That stuff is nasty," Cloud said. Leon nodded in agreement. Cloud pushed his ice cream to the centre.

"We can share if you'd like…" He suggested. Leon cleared his throat.

"No, it's yours," He found himself say. Cloud chuckled, then scooped up some ice cream.

"Then I'll have to force feed it to you," He said, resting the cold spoon on Leon's bottom lip, waiting for him to open his mouth. Leon opened it slightly and took the ice cream. Cloud's eyes were slightly wide, as though wondering what he'd just done.

Leon opened his mouth. Why couldn't he just say it? 'Cloud, I really like you. Do you like me back? If not, can we just pretend this never happened?'

"Cl-Cloud, um, I-I, er…" Leon cleared his throat.

"I think we should leave," No, that's not what he'd been trying to say. Cloud looked confused, then at the two barely started ice creams. Leon felt guilty, knowing that Cloud had probably been about to enjoy that.

But he needed to be somewhere where there were people. He needed somewhere where they wouldn't be alone with nothing to talk about except each other. It scared him that Cloud might not feel the same. If he stayed here any longer he was going to say something he would regret.

_Damn coward…_

_Damn straight!_

"Um… Okay…" Cloud stood up. When they went through the door, Leon felt Cloud's hand brush against his own and felt a shiver run through him.

Perhaps it was hopeful, but he thought he saw Cloud tremble slightly too…

* * *

Riku lay on his stomach.

I heard from Riku that you were obsessing with me today. You like me that much Sora? We've only known each other a few months…

Riku loved playing with Sora's mind this way. As Bob, Sora wanted him. For now, that would do…

I dn't think I can verbalise or write wot these txt msgs have ment 2 me…

"Bullseye!" Riku whispered. He then felt his conscience nagging at him. What if Sora knows it's you and in fact, he's the one playing you? How would you feel then?

"Fucking fantastic," Riku said aloud, and text back.

Love you.

He didn't mean it. Even as Riku, he didn't mean it. Sure, he wanted Sora, but it was more of a physical need than anything. He wanted the physical closeness of a relationship again…

I love you too.

Riku smiled. So Sora was in love with Bob? Or was he just saying it because Bob said so first? Maybe it was a mixture of both? Riku put his phone down, he'd had enough being Bob for one night.

He had two phones, both he and Leon did. One phone was for their private use, to do with as they pleased. That was the one that Riku was texting Sora off. The other way one that went straight to the house. If there was a problem with their mom, that one would be phoned and it would ring loudly and clearly until they picked it up.

"Have a nice time?" Riku asked, seeing Leon in the doorway. He smiled sheepishly.

"Kind of. I very nearly made a fool of myself in an ice cream parlour, but apart from that I had a good time. What DVD did you get?" Leon asked. Riku held it up and Leon grinned.

"Cool, I've wanted to see that," He settled down on the couch, and waited for Riku to press play. He'd hired out 'Kill Bill'. Riku had already seen it, but Leon hadn't, so he'd got it out again. They watched it together.

* * *

Riku smirked when Leon went to bed. A few minutes later he heard a cry and Leon ran out in his underpants.

"Riku!" He yelled. His little brother was gone however, locked in his bedroom.

Leon spent fifteen minutes changing him marmalade coated bedclothes…

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

_Don't know where that last bit came from to be honest… I could just see Riku being really evil and sitting there putting a nice even spread of marmalade on Leon's bed._

_**Note to kids: **Only do that if you're brother or sister have been very very mean. Okay? And to use a frog is much more fun, because then they have to catch it. Also, it makes a nice pet after…_

_Anyhow, please review. I hoped you like this chapter. Sorry about the slow pace again, but there are another ten chapters before the next couple get together…_


	8. Sora and Sakura

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Eight:

Sakura and Sora

****

Author's Note:

__

Flattery will get you faster updates, as you can see -! I love you all! Thank you for the reviews! Seeing as you got a kiss from Riku last time, I tried to find someone else willing this time. Enter, the cute and cuddly Sora!

"Um…" eyes hungry fan girls/guys, a few that are drooling

"Sorry, you aren't paying me enough."

Don't worry, I'll get him back by writing a threesome scene with Yuffie and Mr Kikuta.

"Aah! Kisses all round. Who wants a kiss, eh?"

I'm updating now because I'm going on holiday soon and won't update for a while. Please be patient, I'll try to update as much as possible over the next week. You probably won't get another chapter, then again, maybe you will?

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

__

Sora sat in the room, it was so quiet that all that could be heard was the clock ticking and the sound of silver cutlery against china plates.

"Well, boy, what did you learn at school today?" His father asked. Sora swallowed his food. To most it would sound a caring question, but Sora knew better. His father was looking for an excuse to get angry.

"I revised work on Pythagoras Theorem, took a physics test and wrote an essay on William Golding's Lord of the Flies, sir," Sora said quietly. His father nodded.

"How far are you through the book sweetie?" His mother asked. Sora felt his skin crawl. How could his mother dare to call him 'sweetie'?

"I'm up to the killing of the sow," Sora replied. His father glared at him, so he added "Ma'am."

"It sounds really interesting. I can't wait until I'm in Sora's year. I read the killing bit, it sounds like a rape-" Selphie stopped, her eyes widening. She'd spoken without being spoken to. For a girl in this household, that was worse than treason.

"Selphie and I have been reading it together at night. So she'd ahead for next years classes, sir," Sora said quickly. Selphie remained silent for the rest of the meal. The empty plates were cleared away by servants, and Sora fidgeted in his chair.

"There is something we've been wanting to tell you," His mother started. Sora looked up at her in interest.

"We've picked you a fiancée," His father said. Sora looked at the table. WHAT?!

"You'll meet her tomorrow, instead of going to school. She's the ideal girl, her father's in the same business as us and he has the idea of leaving everything to her husband, or you as that might be. He's anxious to meet you, and so is she," His mother explained. Sora bit his lip.

"May I be excused, sir, ma'am? That's quite a lot of new to digest…" Sora said quietly, trying not to make his parents angry. He could at least meet her before he threw a tantrum. She might be wonderful…

How could he possibly think that? How could he when upstairs he had a phone which had text messages to someone who was, in a virtual sense, his lover…

"You are excused…" His mother answered, and Sora fled the room.

* * *

Riku opened his eyes when he heard the beeping. He looked at the clock, three am? Who the hell was texting him at 3am?__

I'm gettin married 2 sum random grl hu I have 2 meet 2moz. My old man decided 4 me. Wot am I goin 2 do?

Sora… Riku sat up, digesting that information. Then his heart sank, Sora was getting married… But wait? At sixteen? What the?

__

When? Why? How? L

Riku swallowed the lump in his throat.

__

Not 4 a while. Mayb 2-3 yrs least. But I don't want 2 get married. I want to be single and free and

The messages ended there.

* * *

Cloud sat on his bed. He looked out of the window at the frosty street. He loved this time of year, it was the only time when the streets in his area glittered. His mother knocked at the door before entering, a two mugs of hot cocoa in her hands.

"Just wanted a little chat," Eva explained as she sat down on her son's bed. She smiled. Cloud returned hers with a smile of his own. He'd always been able to talk to his mother. She understood him slightly more than his father did…

Also, they both had crushes on the same film stars. Johnny Depp… It helped that they had something in common.

"Sure, what about?" Cloud asked, accepting the cocoa and cradling it in his lap. His mother smiled, a slightly mischievous smile.

"How long have you liked Leon then?" She asked. Cloud choked on the hot chocolate, staring at his mom in disbelief. How had she known?

"Oh, don't look so surprised. I'm you mom, I can read your body language and also, I read your diary," She said, matter-of-factly. Cloud groaned, he knew he should have hidden it better.

Cloud didn't mind his parents reading his diary, if they went through the trouble to find it, they might as well read it, but he still tried to hide it from them. Besides, he never wrote any details in there, just what happened, what he felt… As bluntly as possible…

Except when it came to the Leon entries, when they were long, angsty and full of hopelessly romantic phrases. And now your mom knows. You can never invite Leon around again…

"Mom!" He moaned. She just smiled and waited.

"Since… Um… Since I first saw him really…" Cloud waited for it, waited for the teasing laugh.

"Cloud? You just saw him and BAM, just like that?" His mother asked. Cloud looked down. It sounded strange, even to his own ears, but it was true. He just felt that urge to see Leon again… To be with him…

"Pretty much," Cloud said miserably. The thing is Mom, today, he refused to even sit with me in a parlour. He wouldn't share my ice cream. He didn't want to be with me. He just thought he did… I know he gets uncomfortable when I look at him… Mom, I've screwed up…

"Cloud, hon, tell me what you're thinking," She said, calmly. So Cloud told her about the ice cream parlour, told her about skipping classes to go (she wasn't all that pleased about that part), about the horrid ice cream, then Leon freaking out, then the rest of the afternoon spent trawling around the mall, treading on eggshells.

"I don't know what to do mom. I thought I stood a chance, but now I'm just scared…" Cloud said quietly. His mother thought for a second.

"Ever think that Leon might be scared too? Maybe he's sending out signals, but you aren't interpreting them properly? Maybe he was uncomfortable because he wanted to make moves on you but was unsure whether you'd reject him?" Eva's voice was soothing. Cloud looked up at her, hope swelling in his heart.

"You think so?" He asked. She hugged him.

"Yeah I do. You and Leon will look so cute together, and I can kinda tell when things are going to work out. My cupid-senses are tingling," She joked. Cloud felt intensely grateful to his mom, not only for giving him a new outlook on his relationship with Leon, but also for just being there.

"Even if he isn't interested in you in that way, I'm sure if it gets to much, he'll tell you to back off. You can still be friends," Eva stood up, empty cocoa mugs in hand.

"Thanks mom, you've been a real help," Cloud said sincerely. She sniggered.

"Oh, don't thank me just yet. I can't wait to see Leon and you together. It'll just be too cute…" She walked out the door. Cloud had a sinking feeling.

His mother wouldn't… She wouldn't do the 'welcome to the family' thing she'd done with Zidane… Would she?

* * *

Sora woke up and immediately thought, Shit! Late for school! Then he remembered, he wasn't going to school he was spending all day with his so called bride to be…

Sighing, he got up and showered, making himself look presentable. He ruffled his hair up and put on some fairly posh clothes, a black short-sleeved shirt and a pair of expensive jeans. He put on his posh Rolex, his silver crown pendant and made his way downstairs.

His father was waiting in the lounge with his mother, and three others. Two were obviously the girl's parents, so Sora dismissed them. He looked at the girl.

Hm… Nice… She was tall and slender, with long blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. Her hair was so blonde it looked almost white, flowing over her shoulders. She looked the height of sophistication in a below-knee long white dress that was slightly flared from the hips.

"Hello," Sora greeted them warmly. He then realised that he hadn't a clue what her name was.

"Ah, Mr and Mrs Fusaki, Sakura, I want you to meet my son, Sora," His father introduced him. Mr Fusaki walked over and shook his hand firmly. Sora smiled as he realised that the man was at least a tolerable creature, unlike his father…

Mrs Fusaki looked a little stricter. She held her hand out to be kissed, rather than shook. Sora did as a gentleman should, and kissed her hand. When it came to Sakura, she held her hand out to be kissed as well.

Sora pressed his lips against her hand, his eyes never leaving her face. She was almost too perfect…

"We were thinking that Sora and Sakura would like to spend the day in the town. We have a driver and escort for them, so they won't be in any danger," His father was saying. Sakura smiled, and her face looked a little vacant.

"What an excellent idea. Sakura, would you like to see the town?" Her mother asked. Sakura nodded. Sora waited for his father to give permission. There it was, the slight nod. Sora offered Sakura his arm, as was expected of him, and steered her outside, where the car was waiting.

"It's cold, do you have a jacket?" Sora asked, being polite. She shook her head.

They got into the car and she skirted across, as far away as she could get without seeming rude. Sora didn't blame her…

"Miss Fusaki, I'm sorry about this. My parents organised it, I guess you were forced too, huh?" Sora asked. She smiled and nodded. Is she ever going to speak?

"Listen, I'm not sure if it's a definite decision that we're going to get married. No offence meant, but I don't really want to marry you. The thing is… I'm seeing someone at the moment, but my parents don't know about him. It's kinda weird being with someone else…" Sora said. She frowned and then made rapid hand movements. Sora blinked… Sign language? What the? Good job I learned it…

"Whoa, slow down…" Sora said. She nodded and continued to sign, just a little slower.

__

I went through a stressful incident a year ago and never regained my voice. You said 'he'… Does that mean you're gay?

Sora chuckled.

"No, I like girls too," Sora said. Sakura smiled and looked out the window before signing back.

__

You're a nice kid. I'm glad. At least I know if we are married, I won't be married to a monster.

The last sign was quite a funny one, Sora couldn't help but grin.

"A monster? I might be yet, you don't know," He let the words hang for a second, before taking her hand.

"I promise you, if I have to marry you, and you have to marry me, that I won't do anything to hurt you or make you uncomfortable," He said. He didn't want her to feel trapped. "To be honest, I'm looking for a friend."

__

So am I…

Sora let go of her hand as they got to the mall and helped her out.

* * *

Riku was almost beside himself with worry. What had happened? Sora hadn't finished his text message, he hadn't contacted him since, he hadn't turned up to school today…

"What is wrong with you today?" Kairi snapped finally. Riku looked up. For the first time in weeks the whole group was together, minus Sora of course. Not only Kairi, Riku, Selphie, Leon and Cloud, but also Tidus, Wakka and Yuffie.

"It's nothing…" Riku said quietly. It was Leon who spoke next.

"You're acting like a mothering hen Riku. Snap out of it. I'm sure that he's fine," Leon scolded. Riku frowned.

"Yeah, well what about that black car thing? I don't believe a word of that Sora said it was. That goofball is mine to kick the shit out of, and mine only!" Riku then clenched his fists. Everyone went silent.

"Sora's parents are rich. I'm sure that they would send Sora out with bodyguards if he was in trouble," Cloud reasoned. Riku snorted.

"Yeah, well, I have suspicions of my own about his parents," He scoffed. It was then that Selphie stood up, tears in her eyes.

"You have no right! No right to say anything about Sora, or our parents, or anything! You have no idea what it's like! You-You-" Words failed her, and a tear just fell down her cheek. Surprised by this outburst, there was silence once more.

"Perhaps if you or Sora told someone what was going in, then we wouldn't have to guess!" Riku replied. Selphie stamped her foot.

"I don't have to tell you anything. And if you must know, Sora's out with his fiancée today. His arranged wife," She then stormed away, leaving Riku slightly speechless.

Of course, how could he have forgotten? Sora had said that he was meeting her today… Damn… Now he felt a fool… Then again, it was Bob, not Riku, who was supposed to know.

"Poor Bob…" Kairi said quietly. A few around the table nodded. Riku laughed, slightly hysterically.

"It's not Bob I feel sorry for. I feel sorry for Sora…"

* * *

Sora pulled a smiling Sakura into the arcade. She giggled and laughed, silently and squeezed Sora's hand as he stopped in front of the dance machines.

"Wanna go?" He asked. She nodded, getting on the machine and waiting for Sora to get on the other. They eventually figured out how to get two players and started up the game.

"Which song?" Sora asked. Sakura scrolled down and then stopped, smiling.

"Aw man… That one's really hard…" Sora moaned. She selected it and the intro started.

****

Round round baby, round round, spinning out on me, I don't need no money, got my kicks for free…

Throughout the song the two tried to push each other over so they'd miss steps. At one point, Sakura 'slipped' over, and Sora had grabbed her hand to stop her falling over.

"Now what?" He asked. She pointed to another machine. Following her, Sora smiled. This was a game he was good at…

"Tekken Tag? You're sure about that?" He asked. She nodded, putting money in the slot. Sora scrolled through the characters. Where was he…?

"Hwoarang… Hwoarang… Hwoarang…" Sora mumbled looking through the list of characters. He finally found him, selecting him.

"Hwoarang vs. Nina Williams, round one, fight!" The game announced. (I can't remember what it says for Tekken Tag, so just pretend it says that, okay?) Sora tried to execute the special moves, but he was beaten to it. Sakura knew how to handle Nina Williams it seemed.

Fifteen minutes later and the score was three-three. Sakura gave up then, touching Sora's shoulder to get his attention. He watched her hands intently.

__

Are you hungry? I am. Could we get something to eat now?

"Sure!" Sora said, leading her into the main mall. There was that swanky sushi bar… Sora decided to ask her what she wanted to eat.

"There's a sushi bar over there, or there's the simple fast food over there, or there's-" He stopped when he noticed she wasn't watching him, but was looking over at 'The Golden Gateway' or Gin Kado as it was also called.

No one in town knew why the Chinese restaurant was called this. After all, Gin Kado was Japanese, but for some reason the owners had named it. Perhaps they didn't actually know any Chinese, lots of people were now brought up in other countries other than their birth countries…

"You want Chinese? C'mon then," Sora lead her into the restaurant.

* * *

Selphie ignored everyone for the rest of the day. She knew if she broke the silence then they'd ask questions, questions that she wouldn't want to answer. Riku watched her like a hawk, making her angrier than she'd ever been with him before.

When the bell went, signalling the end of the day, Selphie fled from school, out of the car park and out into the streets.

She wondered why she was running home when all she wanted to do was get away from there…

* * *

Riku and Leon decided to walk home with a detour. Leon wanted to get an updated version of his word processor, said that the other one didn't do enough. Riku had watched Cloud say goodbye with interest.

The blonde had seemed about to hug Leon or something, but Leon had just casually waved and crossed over the road. Cloud's pout had been classic.

"So, what are you getting?" Riku asked, once they got into the software store. Leon looked at the price of 'Office 2003'.

"Maybe I'll go for something cheaper," He muttered. There was no way that he was paying over a hundred and fifty dollars for a piece of software. Looking down the line. Riku saw something that caught his attention.

"Create yourself and your love in a virtual world and see if you make it together…" Riku read out, picking the box up. It was red and covered in hearts. He heard Leon chuckle.

"Create both heterosexual and homosexual relationships. Will your love reject or accept? Are you the perfect match? This game takes into account all that you type, do and say and places you in the position to strike lucky…" Riku looked at some of the pictures.

Most of them were quite sweet. The graphics were anime style, and Riku smiled when he saw the romantic ideas that the game threw at you. Then there was one picture at the bottom. Riku smirked.

"I'm going to get it…" Riku said, walking to the counter. The staff looked at Riku, then pointed to the certificate.

"You ain't eighteen," The uneducated lout said. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Leon! Get this for me, will ya?" He called. Leon stepped out, software in hand. He definitely looked eighteen, even though he was a year younger. The checkout clerk just stared as the two left the shop (after paying). Leon shook his head.

"You're one sick bastard Riku," He laughed. Riku nodded.

"Yeah, I know it. It says here that you can create an entire world of your friends and see which one's like you the most and least. Says it has highly accurate results…" Riku read from the back. Leon shook his head.

"Oh yeah, and it if has you screwing me? What then?" He asked. Riku shrugged.

"Then it really is accurate," He joked. Leon laughed.

"Oh, hi Leon, Riku," A voice said from behind them. Riku hurriedly put the game back in his bag and turned around. Sora…

"Hey Sora," Leon said casually. Riku said nothing, but regarded the girl beside him. She was a blonde goddess, but then again, Sora deserved no less.

"Oh, Sakura, these are my… friends…" He smirked at that. "Riku and Leon." He pointed to them in turn. She smiled and nodded to them.

Then she began to make complicated hand gestures. Riku couldn't keep up with them.

"She says she's pleased to meet some of my friends. She says you're 'cute'," Sora chuckled. Sakura hit him on the arm playfully.

Riku looked Sora up and down. He looked… hot… That shirt… Those jeans… Stop the dirty thoughts THERE Riku!

"You want to kill some time with us? We can't go back home 'til five," Sora said. Riku felt his mouth smile.

"Sure, why not?" Damnit I'm blushing! This is not happening. La la la la la la la. What brain? Nope, I don't like Sora. Not me… I'm not listening to you!

Sakura was signing again, and Sora laughed at what she said.

"No, um… Leon and Riku are brothers…" Sora replied to whatever she said. Leon laughed.

"Hm… This incest thing is really getting out of hand…" Leon commented. Riku nodded, as they walked into the nearest shop, which just so happened to be a coffee-house.

They ordered coffee and sat down, Sakura next to Sora, Riku opposite him and Leon beside Riku. Sakura signed and Sora spluttered his coffee everywhere.

"NO!" He said loudly. Sakura grinned. The next sign was a little obvious. It was a heart shape, she then pointed at Riku. Sora was blushing like a tomato.

"Nuh-uh. Riku and I are friends, that's all. Sakura stop teasing! No! No! No! That's it," Sora grabbed her hands and forced them on the table. She began to laugh, and this time it wasn't silent. Musical laughter rang through the shop. A few turned to look at her.

"Oh my!" She raised her hand to her mouth. She looked at Sora and hugged him tightly.

"Sora! Sora I can speak!" She said, her voice was hoarse and sounded a little rough. Riku frowned as she giggled.

"Good for you Sakura!" Sora laughed. She beamed at him.

"It's thanks to you Sora! No matter what I did, I never had anyone who could make me laugh. I guess I needed a friend too…" She then laughed again. Uncontrollable laughter bubbled from her mouth.

"We'd better get home," Riku stood up. Leon followed suit, downing his coffee.

"See you later," He said, walking away. Riku looked back to see Sora watching Sakura raptly. He desired Sora more than ever…

* * *

Sora opened the door for her. They walked in, Sora talking cheerily to her. When they got in the lounge, Sakura ran up to her parents.

"I've had the most wonderful day!" She said. Her parents almost fainted.

"Sakura, darling! You have your voice back!" Her mother exclaimed. Sakura nodded, almost squealing with excitement. Sora's father looked up at him, for the first time he could remember, Sora knew his father was proud of him.

"It must be a good sign. Would you two be against the marriage?" Sora's father asked. Sakura and Sora looked at each other. They had discussed this. They didn't want to get married, but they couldn't let their parents down either…

"I wouldn't be against the marriage… Can we choose the date though?" Sakura asked. The parents, beaming at each other, nodded. Sora grinned, they had chosen the date. It was the twelfth of never.

"I'm so happy for you two!" His mother said. Selphie entered the room, blinking up cutely at Sakura. She then smiled, shyly.

"Who's this?" Mr Fusaki asked. Selphie smiled.

"My name's Selphie. Pleased to meet you Mr Fusaki," She bowed. He bowed in return, smiling.

"Ah, Selphie darling, we women will retire to the music room. Do you want to come with us?" Sora's mother asked. Selphie stopped herself from bouncing in excitement. She had never been allowed in the Music Room, now she was suddenly invited…

Sora inwardly groaned. Now Mr Fusaki and his father would talk business and he'd have to listen like a good son… It was boring…

"Father, may I stay here and sit with Sora?" Sakura asked. Mr Fusaki nodded, and they sat down on the comfortable couches.

After fifteen minutes, Sakura began to whisper jokes into Sora's ear. Not just the usual jokes, but dirty ones too. His father finally noticed when Sakura giggled a little too loudly. However, he didn't look angry.

"Sora, why don't you show Sakura around the house?" He suggested. Sora pulled her out the room, laughing aloud.

They went up to Sora's room, giving a guided tour a miss. They sat on his bed, and Sakura looked around. Then she spotted the PlayStation 2.

"Ooh! What games do you have?" She asked, rummaging through his games. She then pulled out one, smiling from ear to ear.

"I have this! It's my favourite game!" She held up .hack infection. "How far are you?" She asked. Sora grimaced. He had loved that game also, but… he hadn't got the patience for the levelling up…

"I'm on θ server just after that room with all the teddies. I met Linda and I have to hack another gate to find that Alf guy…" Sora explained. Sakura's eyes lit up.

"Here, I'll help you get the virus cores," She handed him the controller and turned the game on.

They sat, side by side, playing games for the rest of the evening…****

Ending Notes:

__

Sakura was supposed to be some annoying OTT Barbie girl, but in the end, I wanted to have her and Sora get on. I, personally, liked this chapter. I think it would be a Riku thing to dislike her completely, so I had her and Sora get on. Also that made ickle Riku a little jealous.

Review please, if I get enough reviews I'll update -!

I got a computer of my own now, so I can write as much as I like! YAY!!! It was the family computer, but now it's officially MINE! Mwahahahahahahahaha!!!

My life is also falling apart around my ears. I apologize for any lateness in reviews, seeing as I've lost everything I hold dear to me because I'm such a bitch. Want to know all about my life's all about? Download 'Life For Rent' by Dido. That's basically what I'm going through, so don't badger for updates please…


	9. Squall

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Nine:

Squall

Author's Note:

__

Wow… I'm slightly overwhelmed… Thank you everyone for the reviews, it's really great that you like this fic so much. I'll try to stop it following the stereotypical 'high school/AU' preconceptions…

Thank you for all your support in your reviews! I really appreciate it and it helped me pull my head out of my ass. I realised that if I killed myself that you lot wouldn't ever find out what happened at the end of this fic and you'd hate me and deface my grave. Heh heh heh, so I decided that if someone wanted to read my writing that bad, then I really do have a purpose to keep on living! Also, my holiday was great!

Please check out my original writing at on My pen name is 'Neko Kate-Chan' but I can't find the link to put it here... My latest fic, Urien's House, was originally going to be a Kingdom Hearts fic, so I just adapted the names a little. See if you can tell which characters are which and e-mail me... This is a plea for reviews on it because I DO need the critism and/or encouragement to continue with it. Thank you...

This chapter is a Cloud/Leon chapter. I'm trying to build up their relationship a little before the next chapter, which is going to be almost completely Riku/Sora centric. Oh, and you're bishie kiss this week comes from…

Cloud: "You know, we could report you. This has to be exposure."

Reminds him of her threat of making Sora's dad fall in love with him.

Cloud: "Alright already! Line up, one at a time please…"

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

Riku grinned as he installed the game.

"Welcome to Matchmaker Simulator 2004…" A sensual voice said. Sniggering, Riku selected the 'New World' option.

"Please create yourself in the game. Be truthful otherwise it won't work!" The subtitles read. Riku looked at the 'customise' screen. Man, this is good. You can even create me in this game, and I've got pretty mix and match features!

Sense of Humour: Sarastic

Personality: Hard-ass

Attracted to: Innocence

Interests: Sex snigger

Hobbies: Reading

Music: Heavy Metal

Riku entered his character and then it came up with another screen. He created everyone, from Selphie to Mr Kikuta, and then he at last, did Sora.

Customising Sora wasn't hard, big blue eyes, spiky brown hair, slim build.

The personality side was harder though. Riku picked up his phone, texting him as Bob.

__

Fill this in for me:

Sense of Humour:

Personality:

Attracted to: (State an attribute of a person, not a name)

Interests:

Hobbies:

Music:

Thanks!

He then put the phone down. Waiting for a reply. He got it sure enough.

__

Has 2 b obvious, otherwise don't get it

Carefree

Hard on outside-soft on inside

Computer games

None?

Jazz.

"Jazz?" Riku said aloud. He never had Sora down for a Jazz lover… Oh well… He had trouble fitting Sora's answers into the drop down menu options, but eventually he got it just right.

He clicked the 'go' button and the opening movie started up…

Leon walked into Riku's room to find him laughing his head off as in full colour anime, he got slapped across the face by someone who was surely Yuffie. Not wanting to question what he'd done in his sick virtual world, Leon sat on his brother's bed.

"Oh yeah, in this world, it seems you and Cloud are dating. In fact," Riku double clicked on something, bringing up a window.

"You fell in love the moment you saw each other. You've been saying mushy, sappy stuff to each other for the past two hours and it's getting annoying. Especially as I keep on getting messages from you telling me what's going on in your virtual love life," Riku was grinning though. Leon rolled his eyes.

"You fixed it didn't you?" Leon asked. Riku turned to him, a puzzled frown on his face.

"Fixed it?" He asked. Leon sighed.

"You made it so myself and Cloud were identical in everything, didn't you?" He asked. Riku blinked, then laughed.

"You want to deny it that bad? No, Cloud and you had real life bios. Face it Leon, in real life you're practically drooling all over him. In this, Cloud made the first move and during your first meeting stuck his tongue down your throat. Of course, that didn't happen in real life, but give him a couple more weeks," Riku turned back to his game.

Leon shook his head, but secretly glanced at the screen. Sure enough, he and Cloud were in the corner of the screen, little love hearts flashing above their heads… Cute… If only it were true…

At school the next day, Riku laughed and joked, feeling in a much better mood. He and Sora were, in the Matchmaker Simulator, playing a little game of hard to get. It was… weird… that when he came back to school, it was completely different.

Sora was openly cheerful, but it was for other reasons. He talked about Sakura all day, how great she was, he even had a picture of her to show people… It was like he was in love with her…

Leon was the only one who knew how hard Riku was holding back his tongue. However, he wasn't the only one to notice that Riku looked miserable.

"What's the matter? I'm sure I can cheer you up, hon?" Yuffie batted her eye lids at him. He smiled but shook his head.

"No… No I don't think you can…" He replied. She frowned.

"What's wrong?" She asked. Riku didn't say anything. He reminded himself how he'd felt last night, when Sora had sent him a message, on the game of course, and it had sounded like Sora had sent it.

His phone beeped loudly, and he blushed, picking it up. Then he realised, Sora had just sent a message. Sora's eyes were as wide as saucers.

Riku picked up his phone, it was the 'Bob' one… Riku opened the inbox, desperately not looking at Sora.

"Er, Leon? This sounds weird, but that game I got… It's sending me text messages…" Riku frowned as he looked down his inbox. He hoped that Sora was dense enough to fall for this.

"Riku, what's your number?" Sora asked. Riku's throat went dry. He opened his phone book, accessing the number listed as 'Riku Private'. Sora seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw it, making Riku's heart sink in to his chest.

"What do you mean?" Leon asked. Riku grinned.

"Leon says: Me and my partner going on a date tonight. Don't forget to feed the cat. Cloud says: Leon invited me over tomorrow night. Could you make sure you're out. Kairi says: Please stop stalking me. Hey I wasn't stalking her!" Riku protested, looking down at his phone. He shrugged and threw the phone back into his bag.

"What the?" Cloud asked. Riku smirked.

"I got a game called Matchmaker Simulator 2004 last night and created all of you guys. It's interesting…" Riku glanced at Leon, who was looking at the ground purposefully.

"I take it that you've screwed with us to make matches then?" Cloud asked. Riku smiled. Amazing, they even think the same. Well, better not embarrass them…

"Kind of. Some bios I had to make up. Yours was so it might have been a little similar to Leon's…" Riku admitted. Of course, he'd done no such thing, he'd known exactly what to put for Cloud, Leon had pretty much told him everything there was to know about the blonde.

Sora was fiddling with his phone again. Riku picked up his bag and flashed them a quick grin.

"I left something in my history class. I'll be back…" Too late… His phone beeped again.

"It's you…" Sora said quietly. Riku forced his face into a puzzled expression. He picked his phone out of his bag and opened his inbox. He made sure that all Sora could see were messages from the game and other people and flashed it in his face.

"What's me, Sora?" He asked. Sora bit his lip.

"You're Bob, aren't you?" He asked. Riku felt like Sora would be able to hear his heart.

"No, you just want me to be. Listen guys, I'll see you later," Riku walked away. He went into the men's room, locking himself in a cubicle and putting his head in his hands.

Sora wasn't stupid. He was always going to work it out… But where did that leave him?

"Is he Bob?" Sora demanded, looking over at Leon. Leon really didn't know. He refused to look Sora in the eye. He had to admit, it could be, but then again, Riku was getting text messages from a computer game… How did it do that anyhow?

"I don't think so," Cloud said quietly. They all looked at him.

"For a start, Riku is completely different from 'Bob'. I've seen those messages from Bob, and they're not something Riku would say. At least not the Riku we know. I doubt Riku would ever say he loved anyone…" Cloud reasoned. Leon's heart sank.

It was Riku. Riku was a hopeless romantic sometimes, and he knew how to win people over. He knew what to say, when to say it, how to play people…

"Say Leon, what's Riku's favourite food?" Sora asked suddenly. Leon was saved from answering by the bell going. He almost ran from the group, but not before saying to Cloud.

"Meet me after school, we'll go back to my house," He called, turning into his classroom.

Sora thought long and hard about the phone incident. He had seen Riku's inbox, with no messages from him in it, a new message from whatever game he had but something nagged at him…

Two coincidences? Was that possible? What if it was Riku?

That got Sora. He felt deeply for Bob, but Riku… Riku wasn't the same… Riku was tough, vindictive, violent… He couldn't be Bob. There was no way he was…

Stop being stupid. There's a way to sort this. You've got to text Bob… He won't lie to you…

Leon opened the door to his house. Cloud was the first non-family member, apart from Eva, to enter the house.

Cloud entered the house gingerly, following Leon's lead and removing his shoes and putting his school bag down under the shoe rack. Leon watched Cloud take in his house and knew what Cloud was thinking…

"Mom wanted to meet you," Leon said quietly. Cloud smiled and nodded.

"I bet she's a really great mom. When does she get home?" Cloud asked. Leon beckoned Cloud over. His mother's room was downstairs in the house, only his and Riku's bedrooms were upstairs, and her bedroom over looked the sea.

"Hey Eva," Leon greeted. He took in Cloud's face. It was priceless. He looked so shocked…

"Mom!" He squeaked. Leon laughed.

"Cloud, this is my mom, Amy. Mom, this is Cloud," Leon introduced them. He watched the blonde's expression as he looked over his mother. To his credit, he wasn't surprised.

"Hello," He greeted, but his tone was sad. Leon briefly wondered why, but then remembered, Eva was his mother. She may have mentioned something to him.

"Riku was right, you know, he is good-looking," Amy winked at Eva, giggling slightly. Cloud blushed.

"Mom, have you got Riku's phone bill yet?" Leon asked suddenly. He was curios to find out if Riku really had been texting Sora. Sure enough, when handed the bill, Sora's number was listed all the way down.

"He sent a lot of text messages to that one number. I guess he's seeing someone and not telling me," Amy said lightly. Leon bit his lip.

"He's not seeing someone. He's texting them… Seemingly pretending to be someone else…" Leon looked at Cloud with a meaningful look. Cloud folded his arms.

"Sora's going to spaz out…" He commented. Leon nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Eva asked. Cloud and Leon shared a look.

"If this is something to do with Riku, I need to know," Amy insisted. Leon shook his head.

"You don't want to know this mom," He replied. Her face fell.

"Squall, you'll tell me now," Damn, that was cheating…

Squall? Who's he?

"Squall is Leon's real name," Eva explained, seeing Cloud's confused expression. Leon smirked.

"You didn't think my parents were so cruel as to name me Leon Leonhart?" He asked. Cloud laughed nervously.

"Well, I kinda wondered…" He replied. Amy however was getting a little impatient.

"What was it about Riku?" She demanded. Leon- no, Squall- looked about to cower, so Cloud took the lead.

"Sora is my childhood friend, who I must admit, I've been hitting on since I hit puberty… Damn you Riku…" He flashed Leon a grin. "Recently, Sora's been getting anonymous text messages. It developed into something more, they got together. The text messages were from Riku, but Sora's too dense to work that out, so we go around again…" Cloud explained. Eva choked.

"But Sora's straight!" She protested. Cloud shrugged.

"I don't think even Sora knows what he is. All I know is he says he loves this person who's sending him text messages…" The blonde looked to Squall to back him up.

"Which turns out to be Riku…" She said grimly.

"What about me?" Riku poked his head around the door. The room fell deathly silent.

"Hi Eva. You can shoot off-" He then realised Cloud. He grinned evilly.

"Aw, so the love birds are here too?" Riku teased. No! Riku how could you do that? Are you that cruel? Squall looked at his brother, but the effect was spoiled by a slight blush…

"What?" Eva and Amy said together.

"Oh, just a private joke between me and Leon, don't worry about it. Er, sorry Cloud, for embarrassing you in front of your mom," Riku then disappeared. Eva and Amy looked at each other, then the two awkward boys and shared a smile.

Just a joke… That's so cruel… Leon's- Squall's- just playing with me, isn't he?

Cloud followed Squall out of the room and up the stairs fifteen minutes later, his heart heavy. So Squall thought he was a joke, did he? Sighing, he knew that he couldn't be angry with the brunette if he tried…

"So, you have any homework you have to do?" Squall asked, leading Cloud into his room. Looking around, Cloud realised it was a typical boy's room. The walls were royal blue, and it was pretty messy. Cloud knew he was the stereotypical 'tidy' homo, but he never thought he was that obsessive.

He twitched slightly. This room was just too messy… It's Squall's room… Let him tidy it… Don't you dare! CLOUD!!!

"I, er, meant to tidy up but got kinda… side-tracked…" Leon apologised. Cloud grinned.

"I'll help you if you'd like?" Cloud asked. Squall/Leon nodded, flashing a smile of his own. Cloud avoided putting clothes away, knowing that it would be a little too much for him to be going through Leon's draws.

He made the bed however, put some of Leon's DVDs, books, CDs, computer games, random pieces of crap, ornaments, dirty cups, etc away or in the bin. He only realised that Leon had stopped working when the room was cleared and Leon was watching him with a bemused kind of grin.

"This is the first time I've seen the carpet since I moved in…" He said, looking down at the deep blue carpet. Cloud chuckled, sitting down on the bed. A question burned on his lips, but the question was, whether or not to ask… What the hell?

"Uh… Do I call you Leon or Squall?" He asked. There was silence, and Cloud felt awkward. Finally Leon looked up.

"Leon was a name I created for myself when I was in New York. I used to be part of, well, an underground-fighting ring. 'Squall' isn't really a name that you want to use as a feared fighter, is it? So, people began to refer to me as 'Leon'. Riku learned about it, he started calling me it, then it just carried on… I just use that name now…" He explained. Cloud frowned.

"That didn't answer my question," He replied. Leon chuckled.

"You're right… I guess no one calls me Squall anymore except my mom… But if you want to, it's okay if you do. It would be nice to hear someone say my real name for a change…" Squall smiled. Cloud returned it. God, did Squall realise what that meant to him?

"Squall…" Cloud tasted the name. "Yeah, I think I will call you that. I like that name, it's different…" He noticed Squall's eyebrows shoot up at that.

"And you're name isn't? 'Cloud' is a pretty unusual name if you ask me," Squall said. Cloud lay back on Squall's bed, so the brunet was looking down at him. For a moment, Cloud just stared… How could Squall be so innocent looking and so damn sexy all the time?

"Er," He faltered, trying to remember what Squall had just said. "Yeah… Most people think it's a girl's name…" Cloud said quietly. Squall lay back too, his face mere inches from Cloud's. He could almost taste Leon's breath.

You could claim it was an accident! Just inch forward and…

"I don't think it's a girl's name. It suits you. I mean, you'd have to have a rare name, I couldn't see you as a Simon or a Peter or something…" Squall's voice trailed away. He was staring into Cloud's eyes.

For God's sake! Just DO it!

Cloud closed the gap and pressed his mouth against Squall's.

Squall's breath caught as he felt Cloud's lips upon his own. Whoa!

He tried to respond, but his brain seemed to have shut down. All he could do is lie there and let Cloud kiss him. Not that he didn't like that, the combination of butterflies in his stomach and the warmth on his lips was sending him into some kind of Cloud-induced coma but…

He felt Cloud pull away violently, almost falling off the bed. The blonde stood up, blushing terribly.

"I shouldn't have done that. Shit! I'm so sorry! I better go…" Cloud jabbered, turning to leave. Squall tried to stand up, but fell over his own feet and ended up crashing into Cloud in the doorway.

He straddled the frightened blonde's hips, trying to get him to look in his eyes.

"Don't… Please don't…" Cloud whispered. Confused, Squall stood up, taking a few steps back. Cloud leaned against the wall, a tear slowly falling down his cheek.

"You made the first move!" Leon protested. Cloud shook his head.

"I'm sorry… I know that… You can't possibly care about me like that… I don't want to be in another relationship that's just about… about sex!" Cloud's eyes flashed dangerously, but Squall was confused.

Why was Cloud suddenly bringing that up? Hadn't Squall only kissed him? What was the problem?

"I don't want another relationship like the one I had with Kuja," Cloud said, his voice quieter. Squall clenched his fists.

"You think I'm like Kuja? You think I'll use you? Is that it Cloud?" He yelled. Cloud looked up, tears falling down his face.

"No! I just know you can't love me like I love you!" With that Cloud turned and ran away. Squall stared at the empty doorway, his heart aching suddenly.

Cloud had run away from him… because he… loved him…

"Riku, stop hiding in the hallway," Squall said quietly. Riku stepped through, concern printed on his features.

"You want to talk?" He asked. Squall nodded.

"I have nothing better to do now…"

Cloud flew out of the house, passed his startled mother, and into the road. He was such a dork!

You thought that by telling him he would make it all go away? Stupid fool… Squall was using you for a good time, that's why he was angry… But you told him you loved him… You'll never be able to look him in the eyes again…

Cloud found himself running down a familiar street. He turned into one of the drives, knocking on the door.

A girl answered, about seventeen in age. She smiled at him warmly and let him in.

"So who broke your heart this time?" Tifa asked.

Sora didn't text Bob. He decided that he wasn't going to anymore. If it was Riku, then he'd know soon enough. He knew there were plenty of people who he could get Riku's number off…

"Sora?" Selphie stood in the doorway sheepishly. She held her mobile out, Sora noted that Cloud had called her.

"He said you're mobile was off. He sounds upset," Selphie explained. True, Sora's phone was off, he didn't want Bob to text him. As far as he was concerned, he had to concentrate on his and Sakura's relationship. Maybe he could force himself to like her?

"Sora, speaking," Sora said wearily. He heard a sniff.

"Sora? I've just made the biggest fool of myself… I told Sq-Leon I loved him…" Cloud whispered. Sora blinked.

"Great, what did he say back?" He asked. There was silence.

"Cloud?" Sora pressed.

"He didn't say anything… I ran out of the house before he could have possibly replied…"

"That was dumb. How could he say he loved you too?"

"Get real Sora. Guys like Leon don't fall in love."

"Why the hell not?"

"Let me rephrase that, guys like Leon don't fall in love with runts like me."

"Okay, runt boy, why is he your friend?"

"Because…"

"There is no specific reason why, correct? Why isn't he your boyfriend? Because you put bloody obstacles in the way!"

"You think so?"

"I know so! Maybe you should just cool it a little and gather your thoughts a little…"

"Yeah… I was planning on avoiding him… You'll avoid him with me, right?"

"Um…"

"Thanks Sora, I owe you one!"

"Cloud, Wait-!" the line was dead.

Sora gave the phone back to Selphie and stared at his feet. So Cloud and Leon weren't so together as everyone thought…

Well, everyone had their problems… Sora especially…

****

Ending Notes:

__

Not quite sure where that came from. You see, Leon was supposed to tell Cloud all about his life, however, Cloud just went for it and then they got confused, because I got confused, and now they're avoiding each other…

Well, it works with the plot line…

May I remind you that there will be no lemon in this fic. Maybe in the sequel, but I'll have to pester a few author's to write it for me. Yes, I did say sequel… That's in the development stage though, and I only have a few thoughts on it…

I have just written Chapter Seventeen of this fic and the first coupling. It's so sweet. Shame you'll have to wait so long to read it... Heh heh heh... To those interested in helping me write 'Running' the sequel to STF, please mail me. No offense, but it you have no fanfictions online already, or no examples of your writing, please do not bother, as I wish to check out who I'm writing with. I'm only asking for an author who will 1) give critical advice on my own writing 2) Work to the plan I already have and 3) Who is willing to write lemon for me. Of course, job perks include getting all the chapters I've written so far of STF, and previewing and beta reading the 'Running' chapters. Whoa, this sounds like I'm so big headed... pops head with a pin Those interested 


	10. Tidus' Party

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Ten:

Tidus' Party

Author's Note:

__

None of my male characters were willing to participate this week, due to hangovers (you'll know what I mean) So I had to improvise. Enter the Selphmeister.

Selphie: Hello! Please enjoy reading this chapter, even though I'm only a minor character as usual pouts Anyhow, this chapter has a little bit of cuteness in it that isn't me! One of the reviewers said they'd like a kiss from Sakura, who seems to be around here somewhere…

You heard her, read… Personally, this is the chapter I wrote the last five to write, so let's get to it! Do you read these anyhow?

Sakura: Here ya go. Kiss Hee hee!

Anyhow, thank you for all the reviews, 100 is slightly overwhelming… I'm used to 15… I have a special treat for those who stay with this fic!

Although he won't appreciated it that much, this chapter is dedicated to Lukie. You actually like this fic, so I'll give you a shout out… Heh heh heh, explaining what lemon and lime is was a little embarrassing. Brush up on your anime terms!!! :P

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

November crawled by, with Cloud and Leon avoiding each other it was a strain to keep some of the newly formed bonds between the group strong. More than ever, there was a tension between Riku and Sora.

Ever since the phone incident, Sora had been miserable and had started up his hate campaign against Riku once more. It had made, if that were possible, everyone else's situations worse.

Cloud would often just walk off by himself, sometimes he wouldn't be seen all day, but would appear to walk the five minutes he could with Sora.

Leon would sit there, talking quietly to Riku or Tidus, but he didn't smile anymore. It seemed obvious, to everyone except the two, that they were making themselves miserable by their parting.

Riku and Sora's relationship was far more depressing to watch though. It was almost as though any offer of friendship from Riku would only gain angry retorts. For every olive branch Riku offered, Sora had a match to burn it.

So it went on, the only people really being happy were those not really all that involved, such as Selphie, when couldn't she be happy?, and Yuffie, who didn't really know them all that well anyhow.

Kairi and Tidus were still going strong, but Kairi spent a lot of her time worrying over Sora, Riku, Cloud, and to a certain extent, Leon. When Tidus finally got her alone, it usually ended up in an argument…

So when it came for the Christmas holidays, every party welcomed it. A chance to have some time to themselves and eat lots of comfort food…

However, Tidus had other plans…

"A christmas party?" Sora said blankly. Tidus nodded, smiling.

"Can I come?" Yuffie asked. Tidus handed her a little envelope, with 'Yuffie' printed on it. She squeaked.

"Oooh! Who else is coming?" Selphie asked, looking at her own invite.

"You guys, and a few people from my year…"

"A few people from your year?" Sora asked, looking around at the packed house. Tidus grinned guiltily.

"I guess I got a little carried away…" Tidus apologised. Sora shrugged, it looked like it was going to be one hell of a party. Selphie looked up at him and grinned.

"Great idea for getting us here, Sora!" She said, looking over her shoulder at Sakura. It had been Sora's idea. He said to his parents that he was going to Sakura's house, that he would probably take her out then stay at there's for the night. When he'd asked Sakura about the idea, she had asked to come.

Sora hadn't seen the problem, besides, she might enjoy herself… He introduced her to the few people he knew, and soon there were a lot of half-drunk stares following her around the room.

When they got to the crates and crates of beer, Sora helped himself, wondering if Sakura had even tasted beer before. Fortunately, there were bottles of Reef too, and Sakura favoured them.

Selphie and Sakura eventually ended up wandering away, leaving Sora staring out at the party with his bottle of beer.

"Hey…" Leon walked over, leaning against the wall next to Sora. There was an uncomfortable silence, before Leon spoke again.

"Sora, does Cloud hate me?" He asked. How am I supposed to answer that? Especially with about three bottles of beer already working it's way through my system?

"I don't think so… I think he's embarrassed, and feels a bit of a fool to be honest…" Sora said, sticking to what he knew Cloud would want him to say. Leon scanned the room.

"Is he coming here tonight?" He asked. Sora bit his lip.

"He's over there," He pointed to a corner where Cloud was talking to an older girl, who Sora knew as Tifa. She laughed, leaning close and kissing Cloud's cheek.

"Sora, help me make him jealous," Leon pleaded. Sora blinked and looked at Leon, his eyes wide.

"What?" He spluttered. Leon watched Cloud still.

"You heard me Sora. I need to make him jealous so he'll come over. At least then he'll acknowledge me in some way… At least then I'll know if he meant what he said…" Leon's voice sounded sad. Sora felt torn in two. He could be helping Cloud by breaking his heart but… He couldn't do that to his friend…

"I have an idea," Sora mumbled, then began to weave through the crowded room to find Sakura. He grabbed her hand, leading her to Leon.

"Okay, if we're going to do this, we'll do this right. Sakura, I want you to go over to that blonde man over there and just flirt. Then I want you to offer to get him drinks. Run into Leon, have an, er… intimate… conversation in earshot of Cloud and then kiss. That should be enough to spark his temper," Sora felt evil for doing this, but it was for Cloud's own good. Everyone except the blonde could see how much Leon cared for him…

"Right-o!" Sakura gracefully walked over to Cloud.

Cloud wasn't quite sure what to do. This girl was very good at flirting, even he was finding it hard not to fall for her charms. He answered all her enquiring questions, knowing full well what she was doing. People like to talk about themselves, it was the perfect way of making them at ease… At the moment however, she knew all about his parents but didn't know his name…

"You're bottle's empty. Here, I'll get you another," She winked and disappeared off. She was on her way back when Leon stepped out of the shadows. Cloud immediately cringed and shrank back, but then he saw that Leon wasn't even looking at him, hadn't even noticed he was there.

"Sakura, why didn't you call me?" He demanded. She looked puzzled for a second, then she blushed.

"I-I thought it was just a one night thing…" She replied. Although their voices were low, Cloud could hear every word. He felt, if possible, even worse. Leon had turned to another woman…

"I would have preferred it to be an every night thing…" Leon growled, wrapping his arms around her waist. He relieved her of the two drinks, putting them on the nearby mantelpiece.

"Who's Cloud?" Sakura demanded. At hearing his name, Cloud listened in.

"Why bring that up?" Leon retorted.

"Who is she, Leon? Why… Why did you say her name instead of mine?" Cloud swore that Leon looked completely lost then, as though he hadn't got a clue what was going on. However, it was soon replaced with another look of regret.

"I-I don't know… I guess… Perhaps we should forget it?" He said. Sakura shook her head.

"No Leon. You were using my body, but you were calling for her. Who the hell is she?" Sakura's voice was rising shrilly. Leon looked down.

"He's…" He stopped. Cloud stepped out of the shadows. He would have loved to know what he was, but at the moment he was too disgusted with Squall. He'd fucked some girl, while fantasising about him?

So he was just after the sex after all.

"Cloud!" Leon squeaked. Cloud looked at Sakura, then took his beer off the mantelpiece.

"Go fuck whoever you want, Squall, I don't care anymore," He said, but he did. He cared a lot…

"Cloud…"

"Don't."

Sora watched the scene sadly. He knew pretty much that jealous Cloud hadn't emerged, more injured and hurt Cloud had risen to the occasion, hand in hand with angry and cold.

Sora spent the rest of the night being a social butterfly, flitting around talking to as many people as possible. Finally, suspecting he was a little bit drunk, judging by the fact he was a little unsteady on his feet, Sora retreated to Tidus' garden.

There was one thing that you had to know about Tidus' garden. That is that it was more of a 'grounds' than anything. There was enough to easily fit his house four times. So, Sora found it easy to find a love seat in a deserted part of the garden.

He sat there, smiling drunkenly. He rocked on the seat for a second, then became aware how loud the squeaking was and stopped, snickering slightly.

Sora heard footsteps along the gravel path, heading towards him.

****

Crunch crunch crunch snicker crunch crunch crunch.

Sora wondered if it was anyone he knew, but then he saw the flash of silver hair. He knew precisely who it was, but somewhere in his drunken mind, he welcomed Riku.

"Sora? That you?" Riku asked awkwardly. Sora was still giggling slightly to himself. Perhaps he was a little bit tipsier than he was willing to admit?

"Yeeesss," He said slowly. Riku hesitantly stepped forward, sitting beside Sora, yet quite far away. Sora stopped laughing and took in the sight before him.

Riku looked sexy, Sora would admit it. He had a black shirt on with an emblem on it that looked like a heart shaped keyhole. He was wearing leather pants too, which hugged his hips. Looking away, Sora forced himself not to think about the way Riku looked anymore.

"Well done with your plan Sora," Riku said sarcastically. Sora frowned, before realising he meant the whole thing with Sakura, Leon and Cloud.

"It would've worked!" The brunet protested. Riku chuckled and the tension disappeared. Sora moved slightly closer, trying not to do it obviously. Of course, in his present state, he wasn't sure how successful that was…

"'Course it would have, if Cloud hadn't been such an ass," Riku replied. Sora watched as Riku subconsciously began to fiddle with his watch. Sora took this opportunity to move closer.

"He's not an ass! Cloud's just misunderstood, that's all… I thought that Leon understood him, but there seems to have been a misunderstanding that is making them both confuse each other," Sora was unaware he was spouting gibberish. Perhaps if he was sober, he would have done. Riku didn't seem to notice however.

"Right… I suppose I'm so used to you speaking crap by now that you're amazing show of vocabulary hasn't fazed me," Riku chuckled. Sora didn't really know what he was doing. All he knew was at that moment, he was attracted to Riku in some alcohol fuelled madness.

"My vocabulary's good!" Sora protested.

"My point exactly!" Riku smirked. Sora pouted.

"Aw, cute…" Riku put on a patronising expression that Sora missed.

"Glad you think so," He replied. That caught Riku off guard. What was Sora doing? He was… flirting…

"Where did that come from?" Riku asked. Sora shrugged.

"Dunno… Just said it. Like you said, I spout random crap from time to time," The brunet replied. Aquamarine eyes captured his own, and he found it difficult to look away.

"Are you trying to seduce me Sora?" Riku asked, his voice low and sensual. Sora gulped and nodded.

Snow began to fall around them, melting on the boy's bodies but settling on the grass and starting to coat the ground in a white carpet.

"Pardon?" Riku teased. Sora growled, low in his throat. Somewhere, his sober self was screaming at him to stop, to think that it was Riku. But Sora's body wanted this, sod his heart and head, they didn't matter right now.

"Yes I am," Sora said, and before he knew it, Riku was pressed up against him, stroking his cheek with the tips of his fingers. Sora delighted in this touch. No one had ever touched him so sweetly before… At least, Sora didn't think they had…

"You're not doing a very good job… I'm getting bored…" Riku leaned back, withdrawing his hand. Sora watched him, before straddling his waist, trailing one of his fingers along Riku's jaw line.

"I don't think you are…" Sora murmured, when he saw Riku's eyes widen. Sora trailed the finger down Riku's neck, then round to the back of his neck, where he buried his fingers in Riku's hair, bring the boy's head up.

"I think you want me to seduce you… You want to be uke…" Sora whispered against Riku's lips. He then pushed his lips against Riku's own, forcing his tongue inside Riku's mouth.

He didn't expect Riku to push him away angrily.

"You're drunk!" Riku exclaimed. Sora frowned, and his expression just screamed 'so'?

"I don't believe this…" Riku ran his hands through his hair. He looked scared.

"Sora, stay away from me, okay? I really have enough shit going on without you adding to my problems…" With that Riku walked away, leaving a confused and horny Sora in his wake.

Leon found Sora sat on a love seat, his head in his hands. The boy looked awful, as though he'd gone through hell.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked. Sora looked up, and Leon saw the tear stains on his cheeks. He assumed it wasn't just himself who'd had his hopes dashed.

"I… I tried to seduce Riku…" He said. Leon choked on his beer, he hadn't been expecting that…

"And?" Leon pressed. Sora bit his lip.

"I was drunk, now I can't believe I did it. I don't even like him in that way. He played along, I guess he felt sorry for me or something… I don't know… Anyhow, when he realised I was drunk he got all… angry… He pushed me away and stormed off…" Sora explained. Leon took a deep breath, it was more than likely that Riku had gone home…

"Right… So that means that Riku has gone home most likely…" Leon told Sora, not knowing why. Sora would have probably figured that out already…

"He told me to stay away from him. He said he had enough problems, without adding me to them… What did he mean?" Sora asked. Leon bit his lip. Could he tell Sora?

"Was he drunk too? That's why he just exploded?" Sora asked. "I don't want to lose Riku as… as a… whatever he is…" Sora gave up trying to classify him. There was no point, Riku was just Riku and there was no way to confine him to one definition. Leon didn't want to give the kid false hope.

"Sora, Riku doesn't drink. He has bad experiences, which I won't go into. The fact is that whatever happened, it was a very sober, very normal Riku you were with. If he said something, I have no doubt it wasn't drug or alcohol affected," Leon helped Sora up.

"Both of us have made fools of ourselves tonight… I hope you're not… too hurt by what happened," Leon said awkwardly. He felt like he was apologising for Riku's behaviour…

"No, I told you, I don't like Riku in that way. It was a physical thing, I wanted to get laid, Riku was there."

Whoa, is that Sora speaking? Perhaps he isn't the innocent cherry that everyone thinks he is? He managed to seduce Riku, so maybe he's a little more rebellious than everyone thinks…

"You're not a virgin?" Leon asked. Sora chuckled.

"Yes, I am, of course I am, but to have sex you don't have to lose your virginity. There are… other things… that you can do…" Sora let that hang. Leon knew that perfectly well, but hearing Sora say that. Leon was expecting a bitch to give birth to a litter of kittens and to find a snake eating it's own tail any time now.

"Oh…" Was all Leon could say. He heard Sora's snigger.

"I'd rather you didn't share that with anyone else. That's a secret between me and you, okay? I'd rather that the other's didn't know…" Sora said. Leon nodded and followed Sora into Tidus' house.

The rest of the party passed quickly, the two brunets skulking in a corner talking in undertones and hiding their personal pains as they laughed and joked.

Life had to be made the most of… Unlike computer games, if you messed up, you couldn't just reset… You couldn't fiddle about with people to make them like you… You couldn't get a game over…

And maybe there was no happy ending…

Riku sat in the park, his head in his hands. He felt awful, what was worse, he had actual believed that Sora found him attractive. But it was drink fuelled… How could he have been so stupid?

Sighing, Riku stood up, wondering why he felt as if his heart had been torn in two. He knew he wasn't in love with Sora but… Rejection was still rejection he guessed… Not that Sora had rejected him, but he knew, deep down, that he and Sora weren't meant to be.

Sora was a rich kid, with a mysterious family life, who was outwardly cheerful and inwardly crumbing behind his own walls. Riku was well off enough to get by, with a family that was falling apart, who was outwardly cold and bitter, and inwardly hating himself for his walls.

It would never work out.

He repeated those lines over and over. It would never work out, it would never work out, it would never work out. Sora's engaged, Sora's engaged, Sora's engaged. He doesn't love her though, he loves Bob, you…

"Sora…" Riku stared up at the stars, before picking up the sound of talking from down the path. He shrank into the shadows, thinking he'd rather not be a target for any would-be muggers.

"Oh Sora, I'm sorry it didn't work out. I really did try," Sakura was saying. Riku watched as Sora stopped, mere feet away from him. Riku knew that if he breathed too loudly, Sora would hear.

"That's not why I'm so upset. I… I hurt a friend tonight… I made moves on him because I was drunk… When I sobered up, I realised what I'd done. After talking to his brother I realised he's probably more freaked out by it all than I am…" Sora said quietly. Sakura smiled.

"Oh, you mean Riku…" She replied.

"How do you know?" Sora demanded. Sakura folded her arms, staring directly at Riku. She smiled, looking away as though she hadn't seen him.

"I just heard it at the party. Riku had left early, he looked kinda upset. He'd been down the garden with you…" Sakura replied. Sora looked behind him, but saw nothing.

Riku had gone, disappearing into the trees and bushes, as though he had never been there…

The rest of the holidays passed uneventfully, and soon they were back at school, being bored in Jally's lessons, being frightened by Kikuta, laughing and joking.

Sora and Riku were friends again, but it seemed that it had been decided that they weren't going to talk about the incident in the garden. Leon and Cloud avoided each other like the plague, but everyone was used to this by now.

It was strange, but Riku was beginning to enjoy his time at the school. He enjoyed his daily sparring matches with Sora, sharpening his tongue against the brunet's pathetic comebacks.

They always ended up laughing. As friends should…

It was Kairi who brought up the party, two weeks into the new Spring term. There was silence around the table, and the subject was instantly forgotten…

Life was good, and you never messed it up completely. If you did, well, there would always be someone to help you make it right again.

They all had each other to help each other grow stronger.

The group became closer, stronger, but there were still secrets.

Dark secrets that couldn't be told.

Secrets that Sora longed to scream to the world but was too scared.

Secrets that everyone had been waiting to hear…

****

Ending Notes:

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Well, it's shorter, but a lot happened. I'm sorry for driving Leon and Cloud apart, but trust me it's only minor :P Riku's so cute, he's so confused and adorable, and Sora! I really don't like Sora at the moment, he's becoming far too… minxy… Hm…

I'm not sure why, but you love this fic, so I'm going to cut the crap here and get to writing the next chapter.

Buh-bye!


	11. Starring Sephiroth

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Eleven:

Starring Sephiroth

Author's Note:

__

Seeing as this chapter is mainly about Sephiroth and Riku, I wanted to have some kind of lightness in it. However, to be honest, wherever I looked for a bright character, they all seem so angst ridden at the moment. sighs Another heavy chapter then…

Mmm, I baked cookies… Want some? You can have a virtual cookie if you review!!!

This will be the last chapter I upload until I've finished Heartagram. Then I'll concentrate purely on this fic. I know Lukie is peeved because I've got up to chapter nineteen on my computer. Ha ha ha. But you won't know what happens until I've managed to finish Heartagram. Hee hee hee…

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

"Sora?" Riku asked, entering the classroom. Sure enough, even though the lesson had ended, Sora was still there, working hard on the latest assignment. He'd been doing that a lot lately, doing all his work at school…

The brunet was looking more and more tired, and would often come to school looking sick and tired. Riku was worried for his friend, but due to his love/hate relationship with the boy, couldn't show it.

"C'mon, book boy, let's get something to eat!" Riku coaxed. If there was one thing Sora was interested in, it was food. But Sora didn't even look up from his book.

"Sora, did you hear me?" Riku asked. Sora looked up, and blinked at Riku blankly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Sora looked so adorable, Riku had to keep the little smile to himself. He shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from cupping Sora's cheek. Bad Riku! Bad!

"Food Sora, you know, the fuel that we humans run off," Riku said, as though talking to a small child. Sora pouted, and Riku clenched his fists in his pockets. Any second he knew he'd just kiss that little pout away, scaring Sora completely in the process and ruining their friendship.

He quickly turned away. Sora's engaged, remember. He's in love, really in love, with a girl. Not with you. Get a grip on yourself, Riku!

"Huh? What's wrong?" Sora asked. Riku flashed a grin his way.

"Nothing. C'mon, let's go," He waited while Sora packed away his things and followed him to the cafeteria. There, Sora bought a drink, nothing else, and followed Riku outside.

Riku sneaked glances at Sora through the corner of his eye. Sora was thinner, he noticed, but there seemed to be a little more muscle on him. Had he been working out? For or with his fiancée? Riku scolded himself for being jealous.

"You know what, you go on ahead. I should really do this essay," Sora was about to turn back to the building, but Riku quickly reached out. He meant to grab Sora's arm, but he ended up grabbing the boy's hand instead. 

His mind flew back to that night in Tidus' garden. It was the last time he'd had skin contact with Sora, he'd purposefully avoided it, but he felt the shocks go through him exactly as it had then.

God, if just a touch can do this, what would screwing him do?

"No, you're going to drag yourself away from homework for one day. Sora, we've all missed you," Riku purposefully used 'we' but he meant it really as 'I'. Sure, people had commented that Sora had locked himself away a little bit more, but it was Riku who really worried.

"You shouldn't. I'm not worth it," Sora replied.

"You are worth it Sora, now stop whatever it is you're doing, and for god's sake, for one lunch hour, sit with your friends rather than skulking in the library!" Riku replied angrily. Soras eyes widened in shock and slight fear. Riku knew he was quite scary when he got like this.

"R-Riku-" He began but Riku turned away. He was angry. He wasn't sure why, but he was. He felt like Sora was avoiding him mainly, that Sora was trying to get away from the group because he was in it.

"I don't want to hear it Sora. I'm disappointed. I thought we were friends. I guess I was wrong," Riku tried to walk away, but a hand grabbed his. Sora's large blue orbs bored into his.

"I am your friend, but I can't do my homework at home at the moment. I have other commitments… I'm not avoiding you, Riku. I would love to sit there with you and the others, just act as though nothing's wrong. I'm getting married to someone I don't love, I'm being forced to attend social events almost every night, I'm suffering from exhaustion and I can't handle a large group of people right now."

It came out as a little bit of a speech. Riku listened quietly, his anger disappearing. He felt a pang of sympathy for the boy, being forced to marry? What kind of old fashioned family was this?

"Oh…" Inventive

"I-Is that all you're going to stay?" Sora asked, no, pleaded. Riku turned around, reluctantly pulling his hand from Sora's.

"You're saying you want to be alone. I understand. Go on, I'll tell the others you had to go somewhere," Riku said quietly. Sora shook his head, retaking Riku's hand in his own.

"No, I don't want to be alone. I want someone to talk to, but I'm not sure I can yet. I want you to be there… I-I…" Sora fell silent, obviously not knowing really what else he wanted.

Riku couldn't have been happier. Sora wanted to talk to someone, and instead of choosing Cloud or Kairi, he had chosen him. He was Sora's shoulder to cry on. He was truly Sora's friend, finally.

How had that happened?

"You want me to go up to the library with you?" Riku asked. Sora nodded, looking slightly relieved that Riku had said something. Riku pretended to think about it.

"Sure, I guess… I suppose I could get some of my homework out of the way…" He followed Sora away from the group without a look back at them.

Kairi frowned as she watched the scene. She couldn't hear what was being said, but she could imagine. Riku and Sora, everyone commented on how well they complimented each other. That deep down, they were bestest friends.

Looking at that scene, Kairi felt a tinge of regret when she realised that Sora would rather spend time with Riku that her, and that Riku would rather spend time with Sora than flirting with her to get Tidus' back up.

"I don't care what you say, that badge is pink!" Selphie yelled, pointing at the offending badge. Kairi sighed and stood up, knowing where Riku and Sora were headed. Everyone looked at her.

"Let's go to the library!" She announced. Everyone traipsed up to the library after her.

Sora sat opposite Riku, taking deep breaths. He wanted to tell Riku, and he wanted to tell him now. He felt like he had to. He had to let the silver haired boy understand him.

"Riku, I'm ready to tell you now," Sora whispered. Riku looked up, his eyes slightly excited, but still guarded. Sora felt his mouth go dry.

"My parents… My parents they-" Sora felt a hand fall heavily on his shoulder.

"Whatcha doin'?" Kairi asked, sweetly, and the whole group surrounded the table, pulling up chairs to sit around. Sora looked at Riku, who's gaze was annoyed.

"We were talking privately," Riku snapped. Kairi smiled back at him, sickeningly sweetly. Sora wasn't sure when he'd started to dislike Kairi, it was probably when she played him for a fool with the whole Tidus thing.

"What about?" She asked, looking at Sora. Sora looked away, hating the way those eyes were just cold. Heartless bitch

"What part of 'private' don't you understand?" Riku asked. She shrugged and leaned back.

"I didn't think there were any secrets among friends," She said simply, batting her eyelashes at Riku unashamedly. Riku rolled his eyes and looked disgusted.

"You don't know anything Kairi, so keep your mouth shut," Sora growled. Everyone looked at him. Since when did Sora talk to anyone like that?

"Perhaps if you told us-" She began, but Sora stood up so fast that the chair tipped over.

"For God's sake, you won't stop prying will you? What is your problem Kairi? You pick out a boyfriend, get all smug, then go after others. You get jealous of a friendship so much you try to break it apart, then, when all I want to do is talk to someone who might be able to understand, you follow me up here just to annoy me!" Sora slammed his fist into the table, tears shining in his eyes.

"Sora, don't take it out of Kairi," Selphie said softly. He turned to her, looking as though he was going to shout at her.

"I'm sorry, Selph, but I'm fed up of hiding it all away. I'm tired of being cheerful Sora. I'm plain tired. It's okay for you, you've actually got a life away from them. I don't see them telling you who to marry. You think it's fine, as long as they let you do what you want," Sora then turned on his heel, slinging his back onto his shoulder and storming away. Riku stood up to go after him, then thought better about it.

"Well done," Riku commented sarcastically. "You know, he was just about to tell me why he's so pissed. Guess now I'll have to wait. If he even tells me at all. Thanks Kairi, you managed to destroy a little trust. How do you feel?" Riku asked the last question as though she'd won a game show, then stood up, walking away in the opposite direction as Sora.

Kairi stared in both directions at retreating backs. Everyone on the table seemed slightly shocked.

"They were right, you know. You really don't give a damn who you hurt," Tidus stood up, taking Wakka, Selphie, Leon and Cloud with him. Yuffie remained, looking at Kairi with… pity?

"I thought you were cool once, but I've realised… You're just pathetic…" Yuffie stood up and walked away.

Riku waited by the school gate for Sora, who walked passed a few minutes later without Selphie for a change. Riku hoped Sora would finish trying to tell him his secret, but he was dismayed to find the boy silent and unresponsive.

"Sora? You listening to me?" Riku asked. There was no response.

"I'm going to star in a porno movie. Yeah, it's really going to be quite good. You see, this really hot girl, named Cindy, original huh, is wanting her fridge repaired, so I go to repair it, and we end up screwing on her kitchen table. Then the neighbours come in because we're making so much noise and join in for group sex," Riku explained.

"I'll have to watch it sometime," Sora said, smiling for the first time that day. Riku yelped, he hadn't thought that Sora was listening. Feeling a blush go across his cheeks, he avoided looking at Sora.

"Why, want to see me naked Sora?" He joked. Silence.

"It was a joke Sora," Riku said, immediately thinking about Tidus' party again.

"I know… I'm sorry about the party Riku. I don't know what came over me…" Sora apologised.

"Don't apologise. It's not entirely your fault, is it? I let you, I could have stopped you, but I didn't," Riku knew he needed to clear the air about this. He had to make sure he knew that there was never going to be a 'him and Sora'.

"Why didn't you ask me to stop?" Sora asked. You can tell him the truth you know. You can tell him… He would tell you, you know he would…

"I didn't want you to," Well, that is the truth… I guess…

"Oh… Then why..?" Sora left the sentence open. Riku took a deep breath.

"Why push you away? Sora, you were drunk as hell. I doubt you were even on this planet. You didn't really want me, you wanted 'Bob'. You were just randy and I was the nearest thing…" Riku felt his heart sink.

"No, I wanted you, not Bob," Sora said definitely. Riku refused to look at him. He wasn't sure whether doing so would have helped matters or made them worse.

"You 'wanted' me? No you didn't Sora. At least admit it to yourself, you wanted sex," Riku replied. Sora thought about this for a second.

"Well, yeah, I guess you're right. I did. With you." Why is he making this so difficult? He doesn't like me like that, so why is he doing this?

"Sora, stop now, before I end up hitting you," Riku said through clenched teeth. Sora looked at him, puzzled.

"I'm only trying to clear this up. At the time, I wanted to have sex with you. I didn't want it with Sakura, or Kairi, or Cloud or whoever. I wanted it with you. Is that so difficult to understand?" Sora asked. Riku laughed, a hollow empty laugh.

"Sora, do you realise how much you're hurting me?" He asked, without realising quite what he was saying. Sora's head snapped up.

"What?" Sora asked. Riku sighed. You've opened your trap, now explain to the poor boy…

"This is awkward… Sora… You don't like me, as in the like like. You were drunk and that's it. It hurts, but it's the truth. You didn't feel for me, and I have to accept that. It still torments me a little though. If I hadn't stopped you…" Riku let it hang. He hadn't quite told Sora as such, he'd leave that for the boy to figure out.

"Riku, you like me?"

Riku was saved from answering this question by someone calling his name. He turned around to see a woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes. He'd never seen her before in his life, but somehow, he knew her…

He glanced at Sora, before turning back. The woman smiled down at him, a strange look in her eye… The kind of look a mother gives a child…

"You're Riku, aren't you?" She asked. Riku nodded, wondering why the hell she was asking. The woman in the pink dress laughed, as though she'd won the lottery and flipped open her cell phone.

"I've found him! Seph, I've found him!" She squealed down the phone. Riku frowned up at her.

"Who are you?" He asked. She didn't answer his question, but five minutes later a large black car pulled up, and a man stepped out.

He was tall, that was the first thing Riku took in. The next was that he had long silver hair, and large blue eyes. He was black leather clad, he creaked when he walked. He was wearing stylish specs, hell, he was wearing stylish everything.

And Riku had seen him before. He was known simply as Sephiroth. The actor… The bad guy… The smart ass… He had played some of the most evil characters in film history, including the part written for him in a film named 'Reunion'. He was as famous as you got.

Riku felt slightly awed.

"Oh Seph! I can't believe we've found him! Look he has your hair and features, but he definitely has my eyes! Oh, he's so adorable!" The lady in pink said. Sephiroth nodded, looking at Riku over his specs.

"Stand up straight," He commanded. Riku felt confused. Her eyes? His hair? Unless…

"You're my parents…" He said suddenly, but the revelation brought him no pleasure. Great, his parents were famous. If that was Sephiroth Cordele, then that could only be Aerith Cordele, his wife… And he was their son…

"That's right, honey!" Aerith said. Riku felt Sora's presence beside him, Sora's disbelieving stare. But of course, Sora didn't know that Riku was even adopted. This must be a weird shock…

"Don't call me that," Riku snapped. Should he be happy to see his parents? He only had one mother, she was waiting at home, in bed with a nurse beside her, counting her days.

"You're being rude with no reason. May I ask why?" Sephiroth asked. Riku looked him dead in the eye, unnerved by the lack of emotion in them. 

"I only have one set of parents. My father's a prick who left us, and my mother is waiting for me to go home. I like my life as it is. No, I love my life as it is. I don't want it to change. If I wanted it to change I would have found you," Riku snapped. Aerith's eyes filled with tears, and Sephiroth looked immensely displeased.

"How can your current situation be better than the one we can offer you? The best university, the best car, never needing to work again, a servant to wait on your every need?" Sephiroth asked. Riku pushed all the things he was offering from his mind. He wasn't going to be bribed by material things.

"I don't care if I don't have all that, as long as I have a parent who loves me," Riku replied. Aerith's lips trembled.

"But we'll love you," She whimpered. Riku turned to her.

"You loved me enough to leave me in an orphanage in a rough area, with only the clothes on my back. You put me through years of bullying and self-hatred. When I finally get away from that, you try to claim me again? What's with that?" Riku demanded. Sephiroth's cool gaze hooked his once more.

"It was a decision made by Aerith's father. He forced her to give you away. We were unmarried at the time, and it would have been disastrous to our careers. We are ready to have a family now, so we want you back," Sephiroth said it as though it was enough. As though that was more than enough justification. Riku laughed.

"Sora, let's go," He turned around, walking away swiftly. He was home before he realised that Sora hadn't followed him.

Sora frowned at the couple. Okay, Sephiroth was a little bit cold, but the Aerith woman seemed nice…

"If you see Riku again, give him this. If he ever needs us, he can contact us on this number," Aerith held out a business card in a shaking hand. Sephiroth's hand snaked around her waist and he pulled her close.

"May I ask something, sir?" Sora asked, looking up at the silver haired action star.

"Hm?" The man asked. Sora tilted his head slightly.

"Would you not try to contact Riku again until he gets in touch with you? He will eventually, he's too curious not to, but… Please?" Sora asked. Sephiroth regarded the brown haired boy with curiosity.

"Alright. What is your name, boy?" He asked. Sora smiled.

"Sora Hikka," He replied promptly. Sephiroth's eyes widened slightly.

"George's son?" He asked. Sora nodded, noting the slight awe that was now in Sephiroth's features.

"He's one of my financial advisors. How is he?" Sephiroth asked. Sora snorted.

"He's fine, when's he not? Get yourself another advisor too, he fiddles his books," Sora advised. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows as Sora walked away.

Aerith sat in the car, her vision blurred by tears still. Beside her, Sephiroth took her hand while still driving.

"You heard his friend. He'll call us. Don't worry yourself about it," Sephiroth said quietly. Aerith nodded.

"He's my son and he hates me. No matter how curious he is, it won't change that…" She sobbed. Sephiroth squeezed her hand before removing it to indicate.

"Aerith, I told you it wouldn't be easy. If we want our son back, we're going to have to work hard. We have to earn his trust as though he's just anyone else. He's going to be a friend above anything else. He may never accept us as his parents… I rejected my family," Sephiroth reminded her. Aerith nodded, but the tears didn't stop.

"I just don't know what to do. He was created by us, it was our love that created his life. Why should he love someone else? Why should someone else love him for us? It's not fair!" Aerith cried. Sephiroth bit his lip. Aerith didn't realise what she was saying, obviously.

"Don't be so selfish…" He said quietly. She nodded, before looking up at him.

"Why aren't you sad?" She asked. Sephiroth sighed deeply.

"I am, Aer, I'm just good at keeping it inside…"

Riku ran into his mother's room, throwing himself onto her bed. Her arms instantly wrapped around him. Leon, who had been unfortunately sitting on the bed, was thrown backwards and ended up with Riku's hip crushing him.

"What's the matter?" Amy asked. Riku sniffed, he hadn't been aware he was crying until now.

"My parents… They've found me…" He said quietly. Amy took a deep breath.

"And?" She pressed.

"They basically tried to force me to go with them. I told them no. I already had you and I didn't want any more parents. They got upset and I left," Riku explained. He shifted, so his weight wasn't on Leon's lap.

"What were their names?" Leon asked, curiously. Riku's eyes darkened.

"Sephiroth and Aerith Cordele," He replied. There was even heavier silence.

"The film star?" Amy asked. Riku nodded. She smiled, sadly.

"Oh Riku, I appreciate the effort. I know that you love me, darling, but they are your parents. You're real parents. The parents that must have been searching for you for quite a while. They're putting their reputations on the line for you. I think the most you could do is hear them out?" Amy said. Riku shook his head. His mother was treating him like a child.

"Mom, I don't want to know them… I mean… They're not my real parents, they just created me," Riku tried to argue. Then the doorbell went. Leon got up to answer it.

"I can't believe you'd be so stubborn! They are your parents Riku, and they must love you to even try to meet you. What harm could come of hearing them out?" Amy scolded. Leon re-entered the room, behind him was Sora, looking a little confused.

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but I got this from them. The woman… Aerith… She said this is her number or Sephiroth's or something…" Sora held out a business card. Riku took it, staring at the number.

"Thank you Sora," He mumbled.

"Riku, about earlier…" Sora began. Riku shook his head.

"Please, forget it. I can't believe what I said. I was being stupid again, I guess. Forget it," Riku stood up, then threw the business card in the waste paper basket at the side of his mom's bed.

"Thank you for bringing it Sora, but I don't need it. I'll see you tomorrow at school," Riku stood up and walked out, going to his room and throwing himself on his bed.

"Um… Hello Mrs. Leonhart," Sora said, awkwardly. Why's she in bed? Is she sick?

"Hello. You must be Sora, correct?" She asked. Sora nodded.

"I've heard a lot about you from Riku and Eva. I heard you were cute, I didn't expect you to be quite so," She winked. Sora felt his face flush.

"Th-Thank you, ma'am," He stuttered. She laughed.

"Don't call me 'ma'am'. It makes me feel older than I already am," Mrs Leonhart said. Sora nodded.

"I'll remember that ma'-" Sora stopped himself, grinning sheepishly. She looked at the clock.

"I'm sorry, I need to take my medication now. I would like to talk to you more, Sora, but it would be best if you go. Squall, help me," She ordered. Sora looked at Leon, noting that he must be 'Squall', but said nothing and left silently.

He didn't know why, but he felt like crying. Such a beautiful woman, such a wonderful woman… Somehow, Sora knew she was dying.

It filled him with grief that she would have her life taken early than should be, and his parents would most likely live on until their old age and die of too much wine and cigarettes.

Walking home slowly, he finally arrived home, extremely late. He walked in to find his father waiting for him. He held himself upright and tried to look strong. He was tired though.

He hadn't really lied to Riku, sure, there had been a lot of social events recently, lots of nights spent entertaining Sakura, but there had been a lot more beatings too. His sick appearance coming more from that than anything else.

"Why are you late?" George Hikka demanded. Sora clenched his fists.

"Ran into a friend's parents," He replied curtly. His father's upper lip curled into a snarl.

"Oh really, which friend would this be?" He asked. Sora tried to calm himself down.

"Riku," He replied.

"Oh, his parents are worth being late home for?" Hikka asked. Sora forced himself not to answer that question.

He felt the pain, but it didn't really sink it like it used to. Now he just let it happen. It was inevitable. Besides, soon he'd probably have a brain haemorrhage and die anyhow, so it didn't matter.

Nothing mattered…

Sephiroth pulled up at the Hikka residence. He wanted to know if his number had got to his son. He noticed the door was open and pushed it open further. Inside, he heard a whimpering, and the sound of a fist impacting on a body.

Sephiroth's eyes widened in shock when he saw Hikka, who he would have considered a friend, hitting his son, the boy who had taken Riku's number cheerfully, who had run an errand for someone he had just met.

"My God…" Sephiroth said, involuntarily. He was cold, usually, but this… This was beyond being cold. To walk away from this would be to turn his back on something that could destroy that young man's life, much like his own.

Hikka stopped, turning around to see Sephiroth. He stepped away, and his son straightened up, his eye was closed up almost completely, his lip was split.

"Ah, Mr Cordele, what may I do for you?" Hikka asked cheerfully. Sephiroth was speechless.

"What were you doing?" He asked. Hikka glared at his son.

"Teaching the boy punctuality," He replied. Sephiroth flexed his fingers. He came so close to showing Hikka a taste of his own medicine.

"He was late for what?" Sephiroth asked. Sora was leaning against a wall, looking at the floor, blood dribbling from his mouth.

"Home. Why are you asking all these questions? I'm a financial advisor for you, nothing more," Hikka's eyes narrowed. Sephiroth felt rage flare.

"Sora was late home because I asked him to run something to my son for me, over the other edge of the neighbourhood. He ran into my wife and I on the way home, and we talked for a while. Afterwards he offered to run over to my son's house and give him the number, which I assume he did. I was here to check up on my son's reaction," Sephiroth said coldly. Sora pushed himself off the wall, walking slowly across the room.

"He threw it in the bin. I'm not sure whether he'll get it out again…" Sora explained. Sephiroth sighed and ruffled the kid's hair.

"It can't be helped if I have the most stubborn son in the world," He said quietly. Sora grinned, then a pained expression came across his features, and he clutched his mouth.

"Would you like to come back to my house?" Sephiroth asked. Sora shook his head, looking at his father.

"My place is here," He said. Sephiroth shook his head. We want children more than anything, and this man has them and abuses them. Aerith was right, it isn't fair…

"My number, Sora. If you ever… want to come over… just ring," Sephiroth handed him a business card. Sora took it, and it looked to Sephiroth as though the boy stuck it down the waistband of his jeans.

Probably to stop the old man taking it from him…

"Hikka, you're financial services are no longer required. I want you to switch my account to my new one immediately. Here's the paperwork," Sephiroth handed the paperwork over and turned to leave. When he reached the door, he took one look at Sora.

Poor kid… I wonder if anyone knows the hell he has to go through?

****

Ending Notes:

__

I'm so sorry that Sephiroth is so OOC, but he needs to be… I wanted to write this chapter so bad, but when I did, I didn't want to create too many spoilers. So I tried to give it length but not too much secret delving. Personally, I like this chapter. I worked dead hard on it…

Review please.


	12. Blue Eyes

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Twelve:

Blue Eyes

Author's Note:

__

Well, we're twelve chapters in and so much has happened. I'll admit it, I was unsure how popular this fic would be at first, but your reviews are reassuring me. Riku's being annoying though, so's Sora. They're all trying to get the romance to move on faster, and I'm trying to keep it back. Grr…

If you review, Squally-baby will kiss you… At least, he will if I threaten him enough…

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

__

"Make the incision just here, below the, NO Kairi, not there!" The teacher talked them through their dissection of a cow's eye. Some liquid squirted out of the eye, straight onto Kairi's face. The class snickered.

"Yuk! Eye juice!" She wailed, running out of the room, presumably to wash her face. Sora laughed along with the rest of the class, but he perhaps had the most reason to laugh.

Ever since the library incident, a week ago, Kairi had avoided Sora, trying to get other's to hang around with her. Tidus had dumped her, publicly, and even her best friend who idolised her, Yuffie, had taken to hanging around with Selphie more.

"Now, now, class, settle down," The teacher settled herself against the desk. Sora could tell she'd given up the dissection now.

"Oh, just get out, you obviously aren't taking this seriously. I want you to research what the," The teacher paused, a smile on her lips. "'Eye juice' is called in medical terms and what it's functions are within the eye. Dismissed."

Sora grabbed his bag, heading outside to wait for Riku out there. He wanted to bring up the subject of Sephiroth and Aerith again, but he feared that Riku would finally lose it with him if he did…

"Let's go," Riku said. Sora shook his head.

"Did you call them?" Sora demanded. Riku carried on walking.

"Sora, aren't you coming?" He called over his shoulders. Sora caught up, scowling at him.

"You'll have to call them eventually," He warned. Riku still wasn't listening, so Sora decided to use a trick from Riku's own book to get his attention.

"I'm staring in a porno movie you know. It's with your brother. He has a nice ass…" Sora grinned when Riku turned to him eyes wide. Then Sora began to laugh, noting how Riku's cheeks were tinged slightly red.

"I'd barely even started describing it!" Sora choked on his own laughter, spluttering everywhere. Riku managed a slight chuckle.

"You know, you're crazy Sora… I love you, buddy," Riku said. Sora stopped laughing, standing up to face Riku with puzzled eyes.

"Did you just say…?" Sora couldn't bring himself to say it. He must have misheard.

"I said I love you, but in the friend way. There's a saying in German that I can't remember, they say it to each other when they become the closest of friends to show affection. It translates as 'I love you' but it has a different meaning. As a friend, I love you," Riku said quietly, so as not to attract attention. He noticed Sora's eyes were shining.

"Well then, in the German weird way, I love you too Riku," Hm… Why are you feeling so happy about those words Sora?

"I'm glad…" Riku then turned away, obviously trying to regain some of his composure after such an intense confession. Sora didn't mind, he waited patiently for Riku to be himself again.

But when Riku turned around, he wasn't himself, he wore the same intense expression as before.

"Sora, I can't keep my mask up anymore. Help me…" He pleaded. Sora watched him, solemnly, then nodded. Riku smiled, and Sora found himself smiling back. He awkwardly hugged Riku, the man hug with one arm.

Riku wrapped both arms around him and when they pulled apart, they saw Kairi watching them. They looked at each other, then as one, beckoned her over.

"Get all the eye juice off?" Sora questioned. Kairi glared at him.

"What's with you two, all huggy and stuff?" She asked. Riku looked at her, then smiled slightly.

"We're friends Kairi, we're allowed to hug and talk, unless the almighty goddess decrees it's wrong?" Riku asked sarcastically. Kairi smirked.

"Maybe I wouldn't mind it if I didn't think you were making moves on poor innocent little Sora?" Her tone was cold, as though she was striking a low blow. But Sora wasn't fazed.

Riku wasn't making moves on him, Riku was his friend and they loved each other, as friends. Was Kairi really so jealous?

"You better move before someone drops a house on you," Riku replied, equally as cold. Sora looked between the two, then gave up.

"Well if we're in the Wizard of Oz, you'd be the support actors. No heart, no brain and no courage," Kairi spat. Sora had heard enough.

"Shut up both of you. If this were the Wizard of Oz, then I'd be sending you back to Kansas just to make you shut up!" Sora yelled. He looked between the two of them and sighed. It was like there were two forces repelling them.

"Riku, let's go," Sora pulled at Riku's elbow, leading him away.

"One day, that girl is going to send her flying monkeys after us…"

* * *

Sephiroth paced up and down his office. He was in two minds what to do. He could get the police involved in Sora's case, and risk the case falling apart and putting Sora in more danger, or he could leave Sora to work it out himself.

Neither seemed better than the other. He looked at the clock, it was five p.m., what was he still doing here?

He packed away his briefcase, getting ready to turn of the lights. Recently, Sephiroth had been working at drawing artwork for an animated film. He was going to do the voice of himself in it. However, a lot of the characters were going to have to be doing by separate people.

Sephiroth looked at his lead characters and binned them again. He wasn't even going to bother taking them home with him. The story was simple, boy with super powers and cool looking sword tries to save the universe with the help of his friends.

Somehow, it was really bugging him though. He couldn't seem to get anything to feel right. It was as though no matter what he drew, it wasn't enough, it didn't portray what he had in mind…

Sighing, Sephiroth emptied his entire briefcase into the bin, looking up to see a silver haired boy stood in the doorway apprehensively.

"I just… wanted to pop in… for a chat…" Riku said quietly. Sephiroth nodded, bringing two chairs forward, one for him, one for the boy.

"There are a few things you should know. One, my adoptive mother is dying. Two, I don't plan on leaving her or Leon, my adoptive brother. Three, I'm gay. Four, I don't like charity or pity. Five, I hate pineapples," Riku grinned shyly. Sephiroth sat back. This was his son's way of getting to know him?

He was quite shocked.

"Let me deal with that one at a time, from the back. I'll never force you to do anything with a pineapple, and I won't pity you or force money on you. Being gay really doesn't bother me. You're my son, I couldn't care if you grew an extra head. I wouldn't dream of asking you to leave anyone. I'm sorry about your mother," Sephiroth said quietly. There it was, Riku's own life summed up in five short points.

"I do want to get to know you though… It's hard… I don't want to accept that perhaps when mom dies… I'll have to live with you… You'd take Leon in right?" Riku asked. Sephiroth felt his expression soften. This boy, he barely knew him, and yet, he was willing to trust him because he simply said he was his real parent.

"Leon and anyone you wish is allowed to stay with us. You can come and go as you please. You don't have to eat with us. You're old enough to make your own choices. Just like it was your choice to come here," Sephiroth explained. Riku looked relieved.

"Would it be okay… If I called you Sephiroth? I don't feel comfortable-" Sephiroth finished for him.

"Calling me dad? I don't mind at all Riku. It's entirely up to you what you call us. Amy is your mom, and Aerith must accept that. We understand," Sephiroth then stood up, ripping down his story designs from the board.

"What are you doing anyhow?" Riku asked, curiously. Sephiroth chuckled.

"I'm creating a film, but no matter what I do, nothing seems right…" He showed his initial designs to the boy. Riku sucked on his bottom lip for a second, then he held his hand out.

Sephiroth watched as Riku began to doodle on the back. He drew five characters, in a sketchy hand. Sephiroth watched, noting that Riku had inherited his artistic talents.

The characters on the page were fantastic, and immediately, Sephiroth felt excited. These were the characters he was waiting for… He stared at them for a second, then took in the appearances.

One was a white duck, dressed up in clothes like a magician. The other was a large… dog?… that was dressed in armour. The character in the middle was a spiky haired brunet, with comically oversized feet, carrying a blade that looked like a key.

Behind them, in the background, Sephiroth noted there was an auburn haired girl, with large eyes. On the other side, was Riku himself.

"You certainly know how to create personalities from your drawings…" Sephiroth commented. Riku nodded, helping himself to colouring pencils and lightly shading. Sephiroth noted that the lead character was Sora.

"I'll tell you what, Riku. Design me some characters, some worlds, then we'll sit down together and discuss some of the plot lines. It would be a good excuse for us to spend some time together," Sephiroth saw Riku straighten, and took in that he had only coloured Sora in fully. The others were… patchy…

"I'll be back tomorrow with some more characters… Spehiroth?" Riku looked up.

"These are my friends I'm drawing, that's why they're so charismatic. May I… May they be the voices for the characters?" He asked. Sephiroth smiled.

"I don't see why not. I take it the weird duck isn't a friend of yours?" He questioned. Riku gave him a cold 'that's not funny' glare that many teenagers gave those of the older generation.

"I have to go home. Riku, I'll have keys made for you to this office, the house and my harley. Please be careful with it…" Sephiroth then walked out of the office, holding the door open for Riku.

* * *

Riku sat in most lessons taking quick sketches of those around him. Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Kairi, Sora, Cloud, Leon, Yuffie, complete strangers. Eventually, they snapped, getting fed up at his intense looking at their features.

Riku shrugged, putting his sketchbook on the desk with a slight 'thwop'. Sora snatched it up, flicking through the pictures.

Selphie smiling, Tidus doing a high five with Wakka, Kairi staring sadly, Leon leaning against a wall, Cloud walking along, his face hidden behind a red scarf, Sora, Sora again, Sora holding weird sword thing, Sora holding another weird sword thing, Sora accompanied by various creatures. Riku, tethered in darkness, waiting to be released.

"Wow… I had no idea you were this good at art…" Sora blinked looking through. Riku shrugged.

"They're not finished yet. Obviously, they need a little colour on them. I'm doing them for Sephiroth," Riku explained. Sora's ears perked up and he grinned at the silver haired boy.

"You made up with him!" The brunet laughed, and hugged Riku. Damn Sora, don't you know that I long to be with you as more than a friend? Please stop tormenting me…

"Yeah… I'm drawing these for his animated movie. You're the lead character, break a leg," Riku drawled. Sora's eyes lit up.

"Cool. Is that why I have these swords?" He indicated the weird blade. Riku nodded.

"It's not a sword, it's called a keyblade," Riku corrected him. Sora nodded, then he flicked to the next sketch. It was an image of the two of the fighting each other. Sora looked up, puzzled.

"It was an idea I had, based on our earlier fighting… I wanted to create something deep. In a kid's movie, you have to have a bad guy, right? Well, that'll be me. Well, I was thinking of a strange hybrid, but anyhow. I'm on the bad side, you're on the good side. But we're still good friends…" Riku explained. Sora nodded, flipping through the next few pictures. He then came across one, it was of Sora holding Kairi's hand.

"What's this?" He asked. Riku briefly wondered if Sora had noticed that he was in the background, watching. Instead he just grinned.

"There has to be a love story!" He protested. Sora snorted.

"What about pairing me up with Cloud? Or Leon? Or you? Anything but Kairi!" Sora begged. Riku laughed, but was still slightly flattered that Sora thought him as hot as Cloud or Leon.

"Hm… If this was an adult film, maybe, but it's a kid's film. You gotta love a girl Sora. Sorry that you feel sexually threatened, but you'll have to live with it," Riku laughed. Sora pouted, cutely.

"Aw… Well, I guess that it's kinda cool. You have to let me help you. Hell, seeing as we all seem involved, we should all help you!" Sora suggested. Riku thought about it, then nodded. Sure, why not?

Sephiroth had said that he should make himself comfortable in their house. Surely that meant having friends round too? And Seph's office was big enough to fit everyone in for a planning session…

"Alright, we'll do that!" Riku smiled. The brunet looked ecstatic and it gave Riku a nice attack of warm fuzzies… He privately named one Binkie.

* * *

Sora hesitantly sketched a picture. He wasn't quite as good as Riku, but he gave it a shot. He drew a landscape, a pretty little island, a raft, a tree house, a strange cave…

Sora pondered for a second, before writing on the top in large bubble writing 'Destiny Islands'. Sora decided to leave it black and white, not trusting himself to ruin his poor attempt further. He placed the picture aside, thinking of what else he could draw.

The picture of him and Riku fighting sprang into his mind once more. Sora pushed it away, and began sketching. He wasn't quite aware what he was drawing until the Nat King Cole CD he was listening to, stopped.

He then saw what he'd drawn. It was by no means a work of art, it was far too angular, to harsh on the eyes but… Sora looked at it… There was a large door, and him. Beside him were the two animal-human characters Riku had drawn. Behind them was Kairi. On the other side of the door, trying to help Sora close it, was Riku…

They were working together to put distance between them for Kairi…

* * *

Riku sat, his feet up. No one had arrived in the homeroom yet. He had spoke to Sephiroth that night, and his mother, and had decided that this film would become his little project.

Sephiroth had also give permission for all gang to go to his office one night to throw around some ideas.

Riku looked up when Yuffie poked her head through the door. He grinned at her and she walked in. Even though she was in the year below, with Selphie, Yuffie spent most of her time hanging around with the older kids.

She explained that her reasoning was that she thought the kids in her year were immature, but Riku knew it was because she had a crush on Leon.

"Hiya!" She sat down opposite him. Riku smiled at her, then got down to making a quick sketch of her. She was in the perfect position to capture her face…

"Hey Riku, who'd you like?" Yuffie asked suddenly. Riku didn't look up from his sketch.

"Why should I tell you?" He asked. Yuffie shrugged.

"I dunno, because you want to tell someone. I noticed you rarely talk to Sora about anything. I've already questioned Leon, and he won't spill, so I decided to talk to you about it directly," Yuffie replied. Riku took a deep breath as he sketched in a little shading under her lip to make it look a little bigger, a little more childish…

"I'll give you a clue. Blue eyes," Riku said. Yuffie's eyes widened.

"Kairi?" She breathed. Riku looked up sharply, but she was gone. With a sinking feeling, Riku returned to his sketch. How long before Yuffie told the whole school?

* * *

It was at lunchtime that Sora first heard that Riku was in love with Kairi. At first, he laughed at it. When Yuffie assured him that she'd received no denial from Riku however, it became ever more apparent.

"I don't believe you," Sora said, stubbornly. Yuffie shrugged.

"Please yourself, but I know what Riku said… Or rather, what he didn't say," Yuffie said knowingly. Sora sighed, wondering why he felt so bad…

Kairi heard the rumour and inwardly cried with joy. She'd play with Riku's emotions to get back at him, then she'd move onto Sora, who she was sure had a crush on her. It would be perfect…

She wondered whether or not she could actually bring herself to touch Riku. Well, she'd slept with guys she didn't like, so she should be able to flirt with those she hated…

She looked at the two, vindictively plotting their demise.

* * *

Selphie giggled and fought back against her boyfriend's grasp. He laughed too, holding onto her tightly.

"Zelly!" She protested. He was stood behind her, holding her waist. She reached a hand up to stroke his face, his left cheek had a tattoo on it, used to hide a scar he'd received as a child.

"Yup?" He asked. She laughed, and gestured to the muscular arms wrapped around her. He nuzzled her neck.

"Stop complainin' you like it," He chuckled. She relaxed into the embrace then saw Sora. Frantically she tried to get out of Zell's grasp before her brother saw, but… Too late

"Selphie's got a boyfriend!" Sora's astonished voice carried down the hallway. Selphie cringed and she noted that Zell's ears went pink. Utterly adorable…

"When did this happen?" Sora demanded when he got nearer. He wasn't angry, she noted, but had his 'tormenting' face on.

"Last week…" Selphie replied miserably.

"You didn't tell me because?" Sora prompted. Selphie sighed.

"Because I didn't want to… stir things up… The fact it's so easy for me to have a relationship and so hard for you," Selphie replied quietly. Sora thought that excuse over.

"Good one. I'm Sora, her big bro," Sora held out his hand. Zell stepped forward, one arm still around Selphie's waist, and shook the hand.

"Zell," He replied. Sora motioned to the tattoo.

"Cool tattoo."

"Thanks."

"Gotta get to class."

"Us too."

"See you around?"

"Defo."

"Selphie, you have a better choice in men than I do…"

* * *

Aerith sat down, next to her piano, a pen and paper in hand:

When you walk away, you don't hear me say, please, oh baby, don't go… Um…

Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight… It's hard to let it go?

You're giving me… To many things lately… You're all I need… Oooh? You smiled at me and… um… said?

Don't get me wrong I love you, but does that mean I have to meet your family father?

When we are older you'll understand… What I meant when I said… no? And maybe some things are that easy simple?

::chorus::

So simple and clean…

The daily things (like this and that and what is what)

That keep us all busy

Are puzzling… confusing me… That's when you turned to me and said…

Wish I could prove I love you, but does that mean I have to walk on water.

When we are old you'll understand it's enough when I say so. Baby, some things are that simple…

::chorus::

Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning, is a little later on. Um…

Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all

Nothing's like before.

::chorus::

Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning, is a little later on.

Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all

Nothing's like before.

Hold me, whatever lies beyond this morning, is a little later on.

Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all

Nothing's like before.

::chorus::

Aerith smiled, gently pressing the keys on the piano. She'd created a new song… Holding onto the song in her head, she pressed 'Record' on the tape player, singing the new lyrics along softly.

"Nice…" Riku commented when she stopped playing. Aerith looked up, happy to see her son. He had been visiting regularly that week, and he saw down on a chair beside her.

"Your own composition? I was under the impression people wrote for you?" Riku asked. Aerith laughed.

"Oh were you? No, I write all my own songs. This one, I was thinking of using as publicity for this big animation Seph's all excited about. He still won't tell me why though. Do you know?" She asked. Riku smiled, and she knew he knew too.

"Tell me!" She complained, slightly childlike. Riku stood up, looking through the lyrics. He took up a pencil, made a few alterations and then gave her back the lyrics with some minor adjustments.

"Right, try again, this time…"

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

__

Yes, yes, the film they're making is Kingdom Hearts. Yes, Aerith has composed the song. Yes I know that those aren't the actual lyrics. I know that this was a crap chapter and nothing much happened.

I know I'm shamelessly Kairi-bashing. I know I added another pointless character. I don't care…

Squall: Um… Here's your kisses, just don't flame. Please… puppy dog eyes


	13. Ice Cream Cake

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Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Thirteen:

Ice Cream Cake

Author's Note:

__

Well, it's chapter thirteen and can I just say… I love you guys… Enough to create some little thank you certificates just like the fortune cookies I gave you! Aren't you special.

Please make sure you scan the attachments, I don't want to be held responsible for a virus on your computer.

This chapter's gift is a surprise (a good one) so be good and review!!!

I co-wrote this chapter with my cousin. I wrote some, she wrote some. It's a little more humorous (random) than I usually write, enjoy!

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

__

Sora watched Riku, jealously. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that the boy had just flashed a grin at Kairi… Huh? Why the hell are you jealous Sora?

"What you lookin' so murderous for?" Yuffie asked, sitting down beside him. Sora jumped and glared at her.

"Whoa, if looks could kill, eh? What's the matter with you? Where's darling cheery Sora?" Yuffie asked. Sora shrugged, and went back to staring at Riku and Kairi. Yuffie followed his gaze.

"Oh, right…" She said, softly. He was a little surprised that Yuffie left then, and didn't tease him. She could be a bigger pain than his sister about that kind of thing, but…

"Oh c'mon Kairi, everyone has dreams!" Riku protested. Sora's mouth set in a thin line.

"Not me," She replied stubbornly. Riku sighed.

"You must have. Let's see, I had a dream last night about… actually, I'm not going to tell you that one…" Riku looked away, looking straight at Sora. Embarrassed at getting caught staring, Sora got up, walking out of the classroom.

What am I doing? So what? Riku can be friends with Kairi, what do I care?

Damn! I do care!!!!

"Sora!" Riku called. Don't look round, don't you dare look round. Sora? SORA?!

"Uh-huh?" Sora turned around. Stupid…

"What's the matter?" Riku asked. Hm… Let's see… I'm jealous that you're spending time with Kairi… Why? How the hell should I know?

"Nothing, nothing…" Sora replied, the fake smile came easily, but he should have known better. Riku saw through it as though it were made of glass. Sora forced himself to drop the smile. Sure, he was miserable, but did that mean he had to force Riku to be too? He was happy flirting with Kairi…

"Is it something to do with me? Have I done something wrong?" Riku asked. Sora didn't know what to reply. If anything, it was him being jealous. Riku hadn't done anything wrong, he'd simply talked to Kairi.

He simply liked Kairi. So that's the root of it is it? You like Kairi? Or is it Riku you like? You're such a loser Sora. You had a chance with both of them, but you screwed it all to hell…

"No, it's me. I'm just… Messed up at the moment…" Sora explained. Riku hesitantly reached forward, taking Sora's hand.

"I'm here if you wanna talk, okay?" He gave Sora's hand a gentle squeeze and walked away. Sora was too scared of his own feelings to call him back.

* * *

Riku leaned against the wall. What had got into him recently? Sure, Riku had flirted with Kairi, but that was just to… Well, there was no reason really, he just did it. Who could blame him really? With his looks and charms… Riku sniggered to himself.

So Sora liked Kairi then… Typical…

I never thought it would hurt this much…

"Hiya!" Selphie bounced up to him. Riku wasn't sure if he had the patience or the energy to talk to Sora's sister today. However, he was pretty sure that if anyone knew who Sora liked, it would be his sister…

"Selphie, does Sora like Kairi?" He managed to cut her off in mid-rant about the price of ice cream. She paused for a second…

"Um… Well… I don't know… Sora's been acting strange recently… He usually writes on his online journal all his feelings, but lately he's just described events. It's weird and un-Sora-like!" She made it sound as though it were some kind of conspiracy? Riku wasn't so sure if he should have asked Selphie now…

"Sora has an online journal?" Riku asked. Selphie nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup, it's called ! It's so cool!" Riku just listened to her ramble about all the cool accessories that came with the diaries. He really wasn't interested. He walked away, leaving her talking to herself for a few minutes before she'd realised he'd gone…

* * *

Sora sat in his computing class, bored out of his skull. Riku had isolated himself at the other end of the classroom, away from both Sora and Kairi. They couldn't even see what he was looking at on his screen…

Cloud sat next to him, but that was no small comfort. Cloud was moody nowadays, and rarely smiled. If he did, it was because he had to. Those blue eyes were always sad, as though all the light had gone from the world.

And Sora knew it was because Cloud had fallen in love.

Hard to admit, but he always thought Cloud would be more… forward about his relationships… Well, that was the past now. Cloud should either forgive Leon, for whatever he had done or said, or just move on.

Moping wasn't going to help.

You're one to talk.

"Mind if I sit here?" Kairi asked. Sora shrugged, he didn't care. He wasn't going to talk to her anyhow.

"Is Riku meant to be on your diary?" Kairi asked. Sora blinked, slowly registering the information. Processing, processing, processing… Analysis complete… What the fuck!?!

"Riku… is… on… where?" Sora demanded. Kairi looked at him with her large blue eyes then gestured to Riku's screen.

"Unless you've changed your template since the last time I went on it. Yeah, Riku is on your diary," Kairi said, rather smugly. Sora stood up, racing around the other side of the classroom to where Riku was sat.

The boy was concentrating on the screen, and Sora could see the look in his face was that of worry. That of someone who was reading something they didn't quite like. The face of someone reading HIS diary.

"What are you doing?" Sora demanded. Riku looked up, his eyes slightly wide. Sora turned the monitor, feeling his throat tighten as he saw the entry. His most recent entry…

__

Where to begin?

I'm jealous of a friendship between two of my friends. But who am I most jealous of, Riku or Kairi? I'm not sure anymore. I can pretend to myself it's Riku, but I know that I treasure Riku's friendship more.

Yes he's a bit of a twat sometimes… well, more than a bit… but still… I like him in my life. Cloud's been distant lately and I can't seem to jolt him out of it. So I turned to Riku, I guess…

But I've found something in him that I don't think many other people see… He's not that bad… But then again, sometimes he can be so mean…

He can make me feel so great, then make me feel so bad. I don't know why, but… I miss him when I go home.

I've never had a friendship like this before… The closest I ever came to this was 'Bob'… Then again, Bob might have been Riku anyhow…

I'm stopping writing here, I don't want to pour out my entire heart…

sighs I hate this journal. It makes me write down feelings I don't even know I have…

"What gave you the right to read that?" Sora demanded, aware that he was blushing. Riku looked up at him, before turning the screen back around.

"I wanted to know what's wrong with you. Now I know. You don't like to share me, right? You want me to be your friend and no one else's'," Riku asked. Sora felt tears sting his eyes. Riku didn't have a clue, did he?

"I'm sorry, Sora, I'm not prepared to do that…" Riku's soft voice, as soft as it ever could be, broke through into Sora's brain, echoing around.

__

I'm not prepared to do that.

"So much for friendship… I don't ask for much Riku. I just want a friend who I can trust!" Sora hissed. Hiss? You never 'hiss'. You must be upset… Poor baby Sora, lost his best friend…

"You don't ask for much? I've never known someone so demanding! You expect to come into school, bruises all over your face, and for me to not ask questions. You expect me to do what you ask, because we're friends. You expect me to give up other friends for you. What else do you want me to do, o master? Clean your boots? Wipe your arse?" Riku snapped. Sora turned away, taking a deep breath.

Riku will always be Riku

"Perhaps I was wrong to trust you after all…"

* * *

Cloud wrapped his arms around Sora, trying to comfort the brunet. He was staring into space, no longer crying, but his body was trembling.

It hurt that Sora saw Riku as a better friend, but Cloud guessed that he could trust Riku a lot more than he could trust him…

For god's sake, you're supposed to be his best friend and you drop him as soon as somebody hot comes along and shows a tiny bit of interest! Even a cold-hearted bastard like Riku is a better friend than you!

Sora was still sniveling, getting Cloud's T-shirt wet, but he didn't really care. He'd hurt Sora badly by not being there for him… If this was the right way to make it up to him, by being there when he was needed most, wasn't that more important? He stroked the brunet's hair protectively. He was here for Sora now.

"Sora?" Cloud looked down at the brunet, wondering whether he wanted to talk about it. So far, Sora had just cried and sniffled like the big, cute, cuddly teddy-bear that he was, not to mention the cute button nose that Cloud longed to 'beep', which he did when Sora looked up.

"You're so weird…" Sora chuckled as he wrestled Cloud to the ground and tickled mercilessly.

"Stop it!" Cloud cried in between girly shrieks of laughter. Sora didn't stop however, not until they heard someone calling their names. Sora looked up, seeing Selphie run up to them, grinning from ear to ear.

"Glad you two are all pally again, but we've got trouble!" Selphie gestured behind her, to a spot where Riku and Kairi were stood, six feet apart, snarling at each other. Sora briefly wondered how he couldn't have heard them from where he was sat.

"They're arguing… over you…" Sora turned to see Leon leaning against the wall. He turned back to Riku and Kairi. Kairi was advancing, her arm raised. The sound of the slap reverberated around the campus. Sora winced.

Remind me never to get slapped by Riku…

"Whoa… That's some bitch slap he's got… It could rival mine…" Cloud said, good-naturedly. Sora nodded, absently rubbing his cheek and feeling very sorry for Kairi, who had almost been knocked to the ground.

"Listen, you stupid bitch! You think I'm interested in you? I've told you before, I'm fucking gay! Why would I find some slapper-bitch like you attractive?" Riku yelled. Sora looked at Cloud.

"Gay,huh? Why didn't my homo-senses begin to tingle?" Cloud joked. Sora smiled, but carried on watching the two fighting.

He wasn't sure who he wanted to win. He tried to convince himself he hated Riku for reading his diary, for playing him for a fool. At the same time, he intensely disliked Kairi's whining.

Selphie was collecting bets. Cloud placed twenty dollars on Riku, as did Leon. Sora refused to bet, even though she offered him good odds. Instead, he strode forward, immediately stepping between the two of them.

"Cool it," He commanded. Riku's eyes widened, Kairi looked smug and Sora stood there, a hand on Riku's chest, pushing him away.

"Kairi, stop being a bitch. Riku, stop being a bitch too. Got that settled? Good," Without a look at either of them, Sora walked away.

He felt so tired…

* * *

Selphie was sitting on the floor of her room with the door open, listening to Sora playing his favourite song over and over. How had the day gone so wrong? The only highlight was all the cash she'd made on the bets, seeing as everybody lost.

She sighed and turned on he TV, aimlessly flicking through the channels and trying to find something that held her hyperactive attention for more than fifteen seconds. Eventually, she settled on a Ska music channel and danced around her bedroom, pigtails flying madly.

"SELPHIE!!! Turn that goddamn music down!!" Sora yelled. She sighed and did as her older brother asked, even though he wasn't really in a position to talk. Kicking the door shut, she flopped onto her bed and stared out of the window.

Why is Sora so grumpy? Yes, his friends were arguing, but he split them up, right? It isn't as if it's the end of the world… No, if we ran out of ice cream, then THAT would be the end of the world… Just think, a world without chocolate-chip mint ice cream with raspberry sauce and one of those little wafer thingys… Now THAT would be hell Even the thought made her shiver.

Hang on a minute, I know how to make Sora feel better! I'll bake him an ice cream cake! Oh, wait…you can't bake ice cream… what's baked Alaska then? Hopping with excitement, she ran out of her room and straight into Sora, who was nearly knocked flying. She looked up sheepishly, only to see that he'd been crying again.

"Hey, Selph, watch where you're going!" He said, fighting for balance. When he fell, she sat on him.

"I'm going to bake you a cake to cheer you up!" Selphie declared, not noticing Sora's face paling almost immediately.

"You're going to love it! It'll taste really nice! It will have all kinds of stuff in it that's all tasty!" She told him. Sora smiled up at her.

"Right, what kind of cake?" He asked. She grinned, getting off him and running down the stairs, calling over her shoulder.

"Ice cream!"

Sora looked slightly worried.

* * *

Riku sat in Sephiroth's office, playing about with some of the characters. He found the sketch he was looking for. The one he'd kept secret from everyone, the one with the paopu fruit…

The one where he was giving one to Sora…

Sighing, he scrumpled it up, throwing it into the trash. He reluctantly turned back to his sketch, Kairi and Sora sat on the pier in the sunset. They looked right together… Hesitantly, Riku sketched himself into the picture. Now it looked wrong…

He erased himself angrily, blaming Kairi, blaming Sora, blaming his own damn feelings. He hated this feeling. This longing and pining. Why was everything so hard?

"How's you doin' squirt?" Cid, a rough and tough new business associate of Sephiroth's asked. Riku shrugged, leaning back.

"I've been better," He replied. Riku liked Cid, who was never without a cigarette in his mouth and always had those stupid goggles on his head.

"Too bad, kid. I heard about this little movie of yours. How's it going?" Cid leaned against the desk, looking over at Riku's drawings. His mouth went slack.

"You know Sora?" He demanded. Riku raised and eyebrow and nodded.

"He's my nephew. Didn't think you two would get on," Cid commented. Riku stared at his sketches.

"We did until this morning gramps…" He replied.

"Don't call me that!" Cid moaned. Riku smirked slightly.

He got a blank piece of paper, sketching a new drawing. It was of himself, dressed in black, tendrils of darkness weaving around him like vines. Sora, stabbing him through the heart, light surrounding him. His face was that of a dying man, Sora's was that of someone doing a distasteful duty.

"Shit, kid, you're good!" Cid took the picture, looking at it hard.

"Can I take this and get a copy?" Cid asked. Riku shrugged, it didn't matter to him. Nothing much did.

"Whatever you say, gramps…"

"Stop calling me that!"

* * *

"Okay!" Selphie bounded out of the pantry with a blue and white apron forced over her bunches and a wooden spoon in her hand. Sora stood by her, looking slightly less enthusiastic.

"Where's the mixing bowl?" Selphie ran to the nearest cupboard, tripped over the string of her apron and went flying.

Okay, Sora was looking a lot less enthusiastic.

"Uh…Selph? You okay?"

"I'm cool!" She said, springing up and rummaging in the cupboard, calling out ingredients to Sora, who went to fetch them. Finally, Selphie emerged triumphantly with the mixing bowl and plonked it onto the countertop, grabbing the bag of flour.

"Selph…Don't tip all the flour in-" Sora got a mouthful of off-white powder as his sister tipped the whole bag of cornflour into the bowl.

"What was that, Sora?" She asked innocently. "No time for talking!" She cut him off as he opened his mouth to explain why cornflour was used as a thickening agent, and was also used in glue. "Now for the eggs!" She said, running towards the fridge and taking out a family-size packet of Haribo and large pack of Cadbury's Mini-Eggs.

"Uh, Selphie, I don't think you're meant to use those eggs…" Sora tried to protest, but realised it was useless as he was instructed to go through the entire packet of Haribo and take out all of the gummy eggs. Selphie happily upended the Mini-Eggs into the bowl and mixed it up with the spoon. His sister then took the artificial flavourings and colourings out of the cupboard and tipped them all in, happily mumbling about a 'rainbow cake'.

Sora prayed for an excuse not to eat this demon cake from hell.

"Are you done with those eggs yet, Sora?" She asked, not bothering to wait for a reply as she took them from him and added them to the rapidly thickening mixture. Sora knew that he shouldn't look at the mixture, but he peered into the bowl anyway.

The colourings were blending, turning the stuff in the bowl into a brownish-pink gloop with little bits of crushed Mini-Egg and Haribo floating around or slowly sinking in it.

"Ugh…" Sora groaned, knowing that he would be forced to eat the muck sooner or later.

"Hmmm..." Selphie was peering into the bowl, obviously thinking of what to add next to her monstrous concoction. "It's too thick…I know! I'll add some water!"

"Selph, I don't think-" Sora protested weakly, knowing she wouldn't listen anyway.

"Shh, Sora, I know what I'm doing!" She replied briskly, tipping the entire contents of a four-litre jug of water into the bowl.

Sora doubted this very much.

"Oh dear, Now it's too runny!" Selphie's cry of dismay was quickly stifled as she thought of another thing to add. " Stir it, Sora, I'm going to get the baking soda!"

"Baking…soda…?" Even Sora's limited knowledge of cookery told him that baking soda and cornflour was a bad combination. Nevertheless, he picked up the spoon and stirred the mixture. It wasn't easy, because the water was already thickening because of the cornflour. It looked like brown wallpaper paste.

Selphie came back and dumped the baking soda into the bowl, before climbing onto the countertop and yelling at Sora to stir faster, which was rather difficult, due to the cake looking more like concrete by the minute.

"C'mon, stir faster, you big sissy!" She giggled gleefully as Sora began to sweat.

"Okay, that's enough!" She slid off the counter, elbowed Sora out of the way and grabbed the spoon, tugging on it unsuccessfully, as it had become cemented into the bowl. Sora watched her struggle for a few minutes before pulling her hands off the spoon and trying it himself. He had to admit, it was hard to get it out. When it finally came out, ten minutes later, he fell over backwards and landed painfully a metre away.

The mixture was still attached to the spoon, stretching all the way from the bowl. Selphie was poking it, clearly amazed that something that solid could stretch that far.

Eventually, after they realised that it would take the scissors to free the spoon (they'd decided to leave the clearing up to the kitchen staff when they'd returned from their day off) the mixture was ready to put in the oven.

Watching Selphie try to lift her concoction was very funny (they had given up on trying to remove the mixture from the bowl long ago), but eventually even she realised she needed help. After fifteen minutes of pushing, shoving and slipping, the two managed to get it into the oven.

It now resembled a large bowl of solid brown cement, with a hole in the middle where the spoon had been. Selphie hurriedly scooped some ice cream into the hole.

"How long d'ya think it needs?" asked Selphie, looking slightly worse for wear but smiling nonetheless. She was fiddling with the controls on the oven, having failed to notice Sora's weak warning not to turn the temperature too high. Having settled on the highest temperature the oven had to offer, they retreated upstairs to clean themselves up.

And were called back downstairs by what was nothing short of a muffled explosion…

* * *

Riku looked up as Sora entered the homeroom. He grinned at Riku, and the silver haired boy was sure that the grin was of pure evil.

"Hey Riku, me and Selph er, baked, this cake and we were wondering if you wanted some?" Sora asked, handing Riku a piece. Riku looked at it, it looked like a splodge of mud that had been shaped into something resembling a triangle.

"What's in it?" Riku asked distrustfully. Sora smiled, that wicked smile once more…

"Taste it and see…"

Riku took a small bite of the cake. Was it him or was it gluing his teeth together? And was it growing larger in his mouth? Erk! What was this?

* * *

Sora's teacher walked in to see Riku on the floor, coughing, and Cloud trying to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre. It was unsuccessful and just made it look like they were doing something obscene on the floor.

"I knew I should have stayed home today…" She sighed, leaving the room, then re-entering, hoping the madness would have faded away.

As usual, it hadn't…

* * *

"You should have seen your face!" Sora said in between gasps of laughter. Riku glared at him.

"Thanks Sora. I trusted that you wouldn't try to poison me and you gave me that? What was it?" Riku had already eaten an entire packet of polos and still complained he could taste the foul flavour of the cake.

"Ice cream, Mini-Eggs, Haribo and various artificial flavourings," Sora explained. Everyone else howled with laughter, everyone except Riku, who didn't really find it funny at all.

"Lighten up Riku, it was just a joke!" Sora protested. Riku stood up, not looking at him.

"Very funny Sora. I suppose you expect me to laugh and fuck around with you again? I'm fed up with it all! I'm fed up with pretending to like you! I'm fed up with having to bow to your every little whim! I've bent over backwards for this friendship, the least you could do is stop with the- the…" Words failed Riku, and he just walked away.

Sora watched him for a while, waiting.

Look back, look back, look back, look back…

Sure enough, Riku looked back, but Sora noted that there were tears in his eyes…

* * *

Kairi didn't feel triumphant as she'd thought she would. Sure, she'd managed to break up the happy friendship… Somehow, all the glory had gone from winning.

To see Sora so upset, to see Riku cry…

It was wrong… It shouldn't happen… Kairi sighed, she could put her pride on the line, stick her neck out for them both, or do nothing…

"Say Sora, there's a blitzball match on Wednesday. You can come if you like. I'll get you guys front seats," She offered. They all accepted her offer.

"Are you cheerleading?" Yuffie asked. Kairi nodded, looked at Selphie who was beaming at them all.

"So am I!" The brunette announced. If it had been anime, Kairi was sure they'd have all sweat-dropped.

"I'll see you on Wednesday then… Oh and Leon, please invite Riku too. I'll reserve you all seats. Got to go!" She dashed off, determined to catch Mr Strife to reserve those seats.

* * *

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Ending Notes:

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Okay, a lot of humour in there… I wasn't planning on that, but it's a welcome relief I think. The whole Riku choking thing gives me… weird… mental images… A Riku/Cloud pairing fic could be quite interesting… Lol…

Anyhow, this is the end of this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it.

Special thanks to Roo, who wrote most of Selphie's narratives in this. She is the original Selphie, yup, an absolute airhead…

Um…looking out for a beta reader for my next fic, Sand In My Shoes. I was wondering if anyone is interested. I've done my own beta work for this (finding I'm a lot more critical of my work than most people I know ::shame on you lukie!:: ) But I'd really like someone to read through it. I'd like more than one, so that that I can get plenty of feedback. Well, beggars can't be choosers. Please will you all consider it? Thank you ever so.


	14. DI Aurochs Vs NY Goers

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Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Fourteen:

D.I. Aurochs VS N.Y. Goers

Author's Note:

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Yup, I have blitzball! And in this the group finally meet together for the whole Kingdom Hearts planning. I can't wait to write this chapter!

Thank you for all your brilliant reviews, I can't believe I've had this many already!!

I realised that my spell checker doesn't pick it up if I put Clod instead of Cloud. Sorry if there are any 'Clods' in there…

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Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

Riku surveyed the room. Everyone was here, even though there was that awkwardness there always was. Riku gathered together his sketches, the character bios he'd created, the worlds he'd designed. He was surprised to find that others had designed worlds, keyblades, characters too…

"Ah, Riku… And all your friends as well it seems?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as he entered the room. He saw that there were eleven teenagers, plus himself and Aerith in the room.

"Right, well, we better get this started," Riku said, placing one sketch on the table in front of everyone. It was one of Sora, grinning like a goof, a keyblade in hand with the duck and dog.

"Sora's character, the keyblade master, the 'hero' as it were. Comes from the same world as Kairi, myself, Wakka, Tidus and Selphie. General do-gooder," Riku explained, hearing a noise of protest from Sora. It was Sora who hesitantly put forward a little sketch.

"Here, I drew this as a world… It's a little bit... childish… I can't draw that well…" Sora placed it down. Riku snatched it up, surprised that Sora had drawn something so perfect for the purposes of the story.

"This is perfect for the home world. Hm… With a few adjustments… It'd work, right Seph?" Riku handed over the sketch. Sephiroth looked at it for a moment. There was an excited squeal.

"I knew I recognised you! You're Sephiroth! I'm like your biggest fan EVER!" Yuffie squeaked, trying to get up but Kairi forced her down, thankfully.

"Uh yeah… Sephiroth is my… biological father. Aerith is my mother," He gestured to the pink clad woman, who was perched on a chair arm. A few people looked at Riku disbelievingly, but Riku forced himself to continue.

"Anyhow, as I was saying. So far I have a little background on the characters. The input has been mainly from the professional writers, but I've added a few touches here and there…" Riku explained, pulling out another, full colour sketch. The one of the sunset with Sora and Kairi.

"Huh?" Kairi and Sora said together. He chuckled, as though he couldn't care less about the picture.

"It was a toss up between myself and Sora as to who Kairi fell in love with. It was decided, for the simplicity of the story line, that Kairi would love Sora, as he isn't going to turn evil," Riku explained. At this, about three people protested that Riku wasn't evil. Riku grinned and pulled out a few sketches.

He was surprised when he found the one of himself wrapped in darkness, with Sora stabbing him. He'd shredded that one… Cid made a copy…

"Uh, yeah… Anyhow…" He put them all out. Sora stood up to examine them more closely.

"I get to kill you?" He asked, his voice filled with some kind of morbid curiosity. Riku shook his head.

"Sorry, I'm your childhood friend. You can't kill me in this. Lots of dragons, demons and stuff, but no humans. Too much blood for a PG…" Riku gave the sketches to Sora to hand around. Everyone seemed interested.

He explained each of their roles to them, no one complained if they thought their roles were too minor. Sora was beaming when Riku told them what he suspected the plot would be.

"When Sora gets to Hollow Bastion, I'll take the Keyblade from him. I was supposed to be the keyblade master, but was corrupted by darkness. After that I give my body to Ansem and Sora beats me into a pulp. I stop Ansem from killing Sora and help him escape, then fade into darkness… The next time I'm in the game, I-" He stopped, Sora was unfolding a piece of paper sheepishly.

"I dunno, you say that Kingdom Hearts is where all the light is? So why not make a gateway to it… And, er, you're only an anti-hero, right, so…" Sora stopped, and handed over the dog-eared sketch.

Riku grinned. How was it that Sora thought up these ideas? It was ideal and from that, Riku found many endings popping up in his head.

"Hey, dad, this could work…" Riku said over his shoulder, handing Sephiroth the sketch. The silver haired man stared at Riku for a second.

"You just called me-" He began. Riku smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, don't get used to it…" Riku warned. Sephiroth began to smile, a sappy smile. Riku waved his hand.

"Hey, don't go all sentimental on me. It doesn't suit you. Remember cold, collected Sephiroth? Yeah? C'mon!" Riku did nothing short of slapping his father across the face. Sephiroth snapped out of it.

"Oh, right… Anyhow… This idea Sora, it's very good. I think it would fit in with the rest of the plot line… Yes, very good indeed…" Sephiroth looked up at Riku.

"You were right about your friends, Riku. It's probably because you're all friends that this is such an easy process. You all know what will work with each other. Perhaps Seph should just sack all his 'professionals' and hire you instead," Aerith joked. Despite all the tension between various parties in the room, somehow, it didn't matter so much anymore.

"I was wondering about Cloud's history. He's quite a deep looking character, with the right costume and scripting, we could make him into quite an enigmatic character," Sephiroth said quietly. Cloud looked up, a little surprised.

"Any ideas?" Riku asked the blonde. Cloud thought for a moment.

"I'm trying to find someone… Both my light and my darkness…" Cloud said. Yuffie chuckled.

"Oooh! Poetic!" She squealed. Cloud smiled.

"Right, let's see… I guess I could tie myself in with Sephiroth… Perhaps Sephiroth could be the darkness I'm trying to defeat…" Cloud suggested. Riku snatched up a pencil while they talked through the character.

Riku noticed Sora was stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. He ignored him, trying to concentrate…

Sephiroth was stood, sword raised, wearing a long black trench coat. Opposite him, wearing a red mantle and dressed in purple, with a huge sword that looked like an elongated chef's knife, was Cloud.

Between them, with gentle white wings coming from her back, kneeling down as if praying, was Aerith. Where had she come from?

"Yo guys, I think Riku has an idea," Sora called, breaking up the argument between Kairi and Cloud about making deals with Gods of the Underworld.

"Sora! It's nothing, carry on discussing things…" Riku protested, before having the sketch snatched away from him.

"Aerith? She's the light that makes the darkness face each other…" Sephiroth muttered. He clicked his fingers.

"You willing to be my enemy?" The older man asked. Cloud smirked.

"You willing to me mine?" He replied. Sephiroth laughed and began to pace around the room.

"Right, I'm going to collect in these sketches and relay what we've got so far to the 'professional' team. I think it's time you left for today…" He gestured to the clock, which was reading five p.m.

Riku stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He waited for Leon, who was obviously hanging around until after Cloud had left.

"Oh my God!" Kairi shrieked suddenly.

"What?" Sora asked, as everyone turned to face her, all with worried expressions. She grinned guiltily.

"I missed cheerleading practise…" She said quietly. Everyone groaned and continued out of the room.

* * *

"D.I. Aurochs are the best, D.I. Aurochs beat the rest. N.Y. Goers going down. We will pound you to the ground!" Sora shook his head at the cheesiness of the cheerleading chants. Well, for Kairi, that was quite a good one.

Sora watched Selphie as she performed all the high kicks and jumps. Being the smallest, she was the one who was thrown too… She looked so excited and happy, even though she was nothing like as good as the other girls…

"She's enjoying herself," Cloud commented. Sora nodded, watching as the huge dome on front of him filled with water. This was the first blitzball match he'd been to since he'd quit the team two years ago…

"You ever thought about taking it back up?" Yuffie asked, from his other side. Sora leaned back, staring at the sphere in front of him…

"There's no way I'm as good as these guys…" He said finally. Yuffie giggled.

"You're better than Keepa, he can barely catch a ball!" She protested. Sora sighed, there was too much going on at the moment, never mind blitzball too…

"Where's Riku?" Yuffie asked suddenly. Sora shrugged. Ever since the diary incident… there had been a wall between them… A rather large one…

"He isn't likely to tell me…" Sora replied. Yuffie leaned back against her chair, then pointed at the cheerleaders.

"This was the bit that Selphie's been talking about for ages…" She said. Sora watched as Selphie was thrown into the air, as she reached her zenith, she turned in the air, little bits of glittery confetti falling from her arms where she'd obviously been holding the stuff. Surprisingly, she was caught graciously on the other end of the arc.

"Selphie's actually quite good…" Cloud commented. Sora nodded, was it the same girl who had tried to make an ice cream cake?

"Surprisingly…" He muttered. The floodlights turned on, lighting up the stadium and the glass tank and the quiet of anticipation went through the crowd…

* * *

Riku dropped his cigarette on the ground, crushing it out with his heel. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't feel like sitting on the front row in front of everyone.

He was dressed to impress tonight, or more importantly, to look like he shouldn't be messed with. He wore black, black cords with silver zips and buckles up the legs, knee high boots with steel soles, and a black stop with the slogan 'God is busy… Can I help you?'

He knew the N.Y. Goers very well. Or more importantly, he knew the scum that would have travelled to watch them… He wasn't naïve enough to think he would get away without a fight tonight.

He hadn't been too popular back in his old school in New York…

"If it isn't the little runt. How are things, bitch boy?" A sneering voice came from behind him. Riku smirked, it was as he expected. He turned to see a man with short blonde hair, a scar across the middle of his forehead, jade eyes that were cold, harsh, cruel…

And of course, his cronies Fujin and Raijin.

"Seifer…" Riku bowed mockingly. "Nice to see you again." He grinned as Seifer tried to figure out the reason behind Riku's politeness. He didn't seem to get the sarcasm…

"Whatever, bitch boy," He growled. Riku chuckled, leaning against the stands, lighting up another cigarette.

"Give me one," Seifer commanded. Riku looked up at blonde then shook his head in disbelief.

"No," He replied his voice monotonous.

"I said give me one," Seifer repeated. Riku looked him up and down. Seifer was no longer towering above him, now he was only a few inches taller. Sure, he was tall, but not tall enough to order Riku about.

"You know, Leon's in the crowd. He'd be happy to see you," Riku said, slyly. Seifer's eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't…" He breathed. Riku raised an eyebrow.

"You obviously don't know me well enough…" Riku replied. He then pushed himself off the wall, right up against Seifer. He felt the blonde shrink away.

"Go play with smaller fish, Seifer," Riku growled, walking away.

* * *

Sora stood up, deciding to go get a hot dog during half time. The Aurochs were winning 5-4, but it was a terribly close match. Tidus and Wakka were having a hard time getting through the superb defence of the Goers.

"I'm getting a hot dog, anyone else want something?" Sora asked. Cloud shook his head, no one else heard him. Clambering past people, Sora slipped down the side of the stands and bought a hotdog.

He stepped out of the way, into a darker area behind the stands. No one could see him there. He just wanted a chance to clear his head slightly…

Everything in his life seemed to be moving so fast… His parents deciding he was going to marry, the Kingdom Hearts film, his own feelings were so hormone driven he was having trouble keeping up with them, his friendships, his baking…

"He said to find smaller fish… I think I have…" A cold voice said. Sora spun around to see a pair of jade eyes glinting in the darkness.

"Look, Fuj, I've caught a mouse…"

* * *

Riku shuffled along the front row, sitting down beside Cloud. The blonde was staring into space, having no one to talk to except Yuffie, who was in deep discussion with Leon.

"Where's Sora?" Riku asked. He wasn't particularly sure whether he and Sora were friends at the moment. They're relationship had been strange lately, as though they were both changing at such an alarming rate that they were having trouble keeping up with each other.

"He went to get a hotdog… He's been gone quite some time now actually… Must be stuffing his face like usual…" Cloud muttered. Riku blinked slowly. Somewhere, in the regions of his gut, he got the feeling Sora wasn't stuffing his face…

"Cloud, c'mon, we've got to look for him!" Riku jumped up, sidling down the row. Cloud followed, probably because he was bored, Riku didn't know. Cloud didn't seem too interested in the blitzball…

"Why?" Cloud asked, as though he didn't care what the answer was. Riku glanced at him, wondering if the truth was the right answer.

"There are some real nasty guys around tonight. There's one I know, and he would do anything to get his revenge. I snubbed him tonight, it's likely he'll just take it out on a… smaller fish…" Riku stood on tiptoes so he could see over the top of the crowd. Sora wasn't near the hotdog stand.

"Cloud, check all the front. I'll check the back," Riku said. Cloud nodded.

"Yessir!" He replied, running off. Riku jumped off the stands, causing a few people to start and some to applaud his acrobatics. He didn't care, just running behind the stands.

For what seemed like hours he found nothing, which he wasn't sure was a good or bad thing, but finally he heard Seifer cackling laugh… Seifer only laughed when he was hurting something… Or someone…

"Poor little mouse, had enough?" He asked. Riku skidded to a halt. Sure enough, Sora was on the floor, wheezing painfully. Riku saw red, his fists clenched into balls and he launched himself at Seifer.

First he landed a painful hit on the blonde man's ribs, forcing the air out of him. Fujin and Raijin both went for him, but Riku blocked Fujin's angry attacks with one arm, landing a kick on Raijin's ribs on the other side.

He pulled Fujin in front of him, pushing her into Seifer and making them both overbalance. It was a short fight, but Riku wasn't in the mood to teach anyone a lesson. At the moment, he was most worried about Sora.

He helped the boy up, but realised it was pointless, seeing as Raijin and Fujin were already fleeing the scene, dragging Seifer with them. Riku let Sora sag to the ground again, watching Seifer go before crouching down.

"This is all my fault…" Riku whispered. Sora shook his head.

"How can it be? My stupid fault for standing around underneath the stands…" He replied. Riku felt the desire to wrap his arms around the brunet, but forced his hands into his pockets.

"No, I told him to pick on someone else. He picked on you…" Riku explained. Sora closed his eyes.

"I'd never blame you Riku… You're my friend… You never meant for it to happen…" Sora opened one eye to read Riku's expression.

A friend… It's all I ever can be, isn't it Sora? Just friends…

"Just friends…" Riku's eyes widened when he realised he'd spoken allowed. He straightened up, hiding his blushing face in the shadows.

"What did you say?" Sora asked. He bit his lip.

"Nothing Sora… I didn't say anything…" Riku replied, helping Sora up. Was it him, or was Sora's breathing shallower than it had been a few seconds ago. Riku decided it was time to leave.

In the dark, Sora was clumsy. Riku wondered how hard Seifer had hit him on the head. When they finally got somewhere near the light, Sora tripped, landing on top of Riku, their faces pressing together.

Sora didn't move from on top of him, cheek resting against cheek. Riku cleared his throat.

"Sora, c'mon get up…" He choked. The boy's dead weight really was heavy.

"Nah, I think I'll stay here…" The boy replied. Riku growled low in his throat.

"Sora-" He began, but then he heard Cloud's shout. Sora rolled off, grinning at Riku.

"Thank you for saving me," He whispered. "No matter how much we hurt each other, we'll always be friends, right?"

With that, Sora jumped up and ran towards Cloud, not stumbling or tripping over once.

That pissed Riku off a little…

* * *

Sora greeted Cloud warmly, despite the bruises on his face and body, despite the blood on his lip, despite the burning sensation in his stomach that could only have been caused by Riku's little comment… 'Just friends'…

Maybe you stand a chance Sora? That's if you like Riku… And then you can get in there and… But what if you're wrong…

Wait for the opportune moment. Make sure it's romantic. You have plenty of time. Don't rush into this like a horny rabbit Sora…

* * *

"What's up with you, you're grinning like a fool," Cloud asked. Sora chuckled.

"I'm not rushing into things like a horny bunny for a change…" He chuckled again at Cloud's mystified face. Behind them, Riku trailed, deep in thought. He heard the term 'horny bunny' and looked up to see Sora's eyes were bright and happy and Cloud was looking puzzled.

"Horny bunny? Sora, I never want to hear that phrase from your mouth again…" Cloud joked. Sora laughed.

"You're the one always trying to get me into bed!" He protested. Cloud smirked at that.

"What? You actually want to sleep with me?" He retorted. Sora pretended to think about it.

"Nah, I prefer strong guys…" Sora replied, dodging Cloud's swipe at his head and running off, sticking out his tongue. Riku looked around, wondering what had happened to Seifer and his posse.

"Oh yeah, like who?" Cloud asked, once he had Sora in a headlock. They were standing in one of the busiest stretches now, surely they were safe. Riku relaxed, finally paying attention to Sora and Cloud's conversation.

"Leon for instance," Sora said, casually. Cloud's face turned to stone and he released his hold on Sora, his hands going to his hair.

"You can't keep avoiding him forever… What happened between the two of you anyhow?" Sora demanded. Riku looked up, would Cloud really explain it? Riku, of course, knew what had happened, though he was sure as hell he didn't understand…

"It's… complicated… and my fault…" Cloud said. Riku smiled, sardonically.

"Amazing, Leon claims it's his," He remarked. Cloud winced, then Riku noticed him take a deep breath, organising his thoughts.

"We were fooling about in his room… I ended up kissing him… But he didn't respond, so I freaked out and tried to leave…" Cloud looked at the floor, as though too embarrassed or ashamed to admit what had happened.

"He tried to stop me leaving, he practically forced me to explain to him… I accused him of being like… like my previous lovers and he got angry… I got scared and ran away…" Cloud's hands were shaking, tears fell from his eyes and onto the ground.

Riku instinctively moved forward, before he knew what he was doing, he was embracing the blonde, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay… Shh…" Riku tried to soothe him. Riku felt another pair of arms overlap his own and saw Sora hugging Cloud too. The brunet's eyes opened and met Riku's. Sora's fingers were pressed against his stomach, he saw the mischievous look in Sora's eyes and then he felt Sora's fingers dance across his stomach, tickling him tummy.

With a gasp, Riku drew back to see Sora's cute little smile and Cloud looking a little happier.

"Thanks…" The blonde sniffled. Riku flashed him a grin.

"Don't give up on Leon, he's a stubborn ass, but he's got a heart… He's probably beating himself up about it too," Riku explained. Cloud smiled slightly.

"You think I stand a chance?" He asked. Riku folded his arms, wondering if this one person was the only person who didn't know.

"Yes!" Sora said, after realising that Riku wasn't going to.

"Oh…" Cloud then looked away. Riku sighed, what was with this guy?

"I'll tell you something… Last night, Leon had a nightmare, woke me up from the screaming… He said he'd dreamed of you…" Riku said quietly. Cloud looked up at Riku, smiling slightly.

"I'm that ugly?" He asked. Sora chuckled.

"Well, yeah, but Leon doesn't seem to think so," The brunet joked. Cloud cheered up immensely, and for the first time in months he truly smiled. His eyes lit up, sparkled, and a little colour came to his cheeks.

"C'mon, we've got a game to watch…" Riku reminded them, directing them to their stand and the front row.

* * *

"Squall?" Leon turned around, storm grey meeting cerulean blue. Leon blinked for a second, slightly shocked that the blonde had come over, with the sole purpose talking to him…

"Cloud," He said. He wasn't sure what else to say. The blonde looked up at the game for a while. Leon continued to watch him. What was going on?

"It wasn't your fault, you know…" Cloud said finally. He looked down once more, meeting Leon's eyes. He felt as though Cloud was assessing something. He swallowed, noting how dry his mouth suddenly was.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Leon said softly. Cloud shrugged.

"I'm equally as guilty," He replied. Leon bit his lip, was it just him or was Cloud… flirting with him… Leon could read body language, but still, he could misinterpret it and make a fool of himself… again…

"No you're not. I tried to force you into sleeping with me. I admit it. I was after sex. When I saw you were so upset, I should have stopped. I shouldn't have-" Leon felt a finger on his lips, and stared at Cloud.

He felt his heart thumping in his breast, the butterflies in his stomach, the pure joy from one simple touch.

"And that ends the match! The Aurochs win 8-6!" The commentator yelled. Cloud removed his finger.

"That's my cue. I'll see you around," Cloud stood up. "First rule, never give them everything all at once." With that he was gone in a flash of purple and blonde.

Leon stared for a second, then a silly grin spread across his face.

I have another chance…

* * *

****

Ending Notes:

__

The end of the chapter. Yes, the couples are starting that long trundle towards getting together. Well, this isn't such a long trundle really… A lot is going to happen to the boys over the second half of the fic.

The next chapter is another relief chapter, simply because I wanted to add a little bit more of the movie side in and a little bit more Selphie cutesy stuff. Also, after the next chapter, there is just a lot of depressing stuff that happens to the boys so…

sighs R&R…


	15. I Ninja

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Fifteen:

I Ninja

Author's Note:

__

Well… This chapter was created, originally, as a little bit of fun before I got too into the angsty plot line of the rest of the fic. I hadn't intended there to be the Selphie ice cream cake section, previously. But, yet again, this is the crazy girl being what she is…

Leon sends his love.

****

Disclaimer:

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

"The writer's have finished the script," Riku announced during their lunch break. The whole gang grinned at each other, as Riku handed out the scripts.

They idly flicked through, pausing to read their own lines and laugh at some of the comments made. Leon in particular, liked his own lines relating to Sora…

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately…" Sora read aloud the first line of the script. He grinned at Riku suggestively. "Hm… How true…"

Riku didn't quite know what the hell Sora was going on about, so he just grinned back, unsure.

"Wow, I sound like a real bitch…" Kairi commented. A few people looked at each other, hiding their sniggers. It was Sora who looked the most worried.

"What's wrong?" Riku asked. The brunet turned his concerned blue eyes upwards, then back at the script.

"I've never even been in a school play… What if I screw up? I have more lines than anyone else and..." Sora sighed, flicking to the next page of script. Riku felt a smile creep onto his features.

"Sora, you'll be fine. Besides, the character is you after all. All you have to do is get in the right frame of mind!" Riku flicked through the script to one of his lines.

"Like this scene for instance… If you'd heard Kairi talking about leaving without me, how would you have sounded?" He asked. Sora looked down at his lines.

"Like this Sora, I guess…" He replied. Riku nodded.

"There's going to be a recording session tonight for myself, Sora, Leon, Kairi and Yuffie. We'll be doing the Traverse Town scenes and the few that we can do from the Destiny Islands. Seph says we can use his office as a chill out zone…" Riku waited for the nods of confirmation. No one seemed to have anything better to do that night…

"This is going to be so cool!" Yuffie squealed as the bell went and they all trudged inside to classes.

The day seemed to pass incredibly slowly. Sora glanced at the clock, it was five minutes until the end of the day and it seemed as though the clock was going backwards.

He was going to talk to Riku tonight, about his feelings for him. He would do it when they were resting for a second in Sephiroth's office, when it was quiet…

"Hand in your work to be marked please," Kikuta's aged voice commanded. Sora looked down at his own piece of paper, only half filled with useless waffle about something or other. He tried to avoid taking it to the front, but as Cloud went passed, he picked Sora's up too.

Sighing, Sora knew he would be in trouble next lesson. The problem was, he couldn't stop thinking about the script. In this story… he would abandon Riku and search solely for Kairi, because she was a girl… It was so wrong…

He would meet Riku in Traverse Town and ignore him, to hang around with his new friends. The real Sora wouldn't do that, the real Sora would have latched onto Riku and never let him go…

This animated Sora was a little bit of a prat really…

Knowing that there was no way that he could change the scripting to benefit his own hidden agendas, Sora simply brooded, wondering how on earth he could choke out those lines to Kairi when his head was full of Riku filled fluff.

He heard the bell ring and got up, slinging his bag over his shoulder and darting out of the classroom. He stood outside Riku's classroom, hopping from foot to foot with excitement. When the silver haired boy appeared, Sora latched onto his arm, pulling on it.

"Hold your horses Sora!" Riku laughed. "You gotta wait for Seph and Aerith to pick us up yet!" He pulled his arm out of Sora's vice-grip easily. Sora pouted and slowed his pace down.

Along the corridor, Kairi and Cloud caught up. They waited for a while outside Yuffie's classroom, where the teacher was telling her off for pulling some immature prank. Sora was almost bouncing off the walls by the time they got to the cars and Riku had to put his hands on Sora's shoulders to stop the brunet bouncing up and down.

"Sora, for god's sake, calm down! You're acting like a hyperactive child!" Riku scolded playfully. Sora pouted.

"I am a hyperactive child!" He retorted. Riku chuckled and shook his head. Leon joined them waiting, although he mainly talked to Cloud.

It was obvious to everyone there that the two were unashamedly flirting. Sora stopped bouncing up and down long enough to notice. His head cocked to one side and he grinned, before returning, if possible with more exuberance, to driving Riku steadily further up the wall.

"Sora! Knock-it-off!" Riku said, his voice low. Sora looked at Riku from under his eyelashes.

"But Riku! I'm excited!" He dragged the syllables on Riku's name. He purposefully made himself look as cute as possible. Puss-in-Boots from Shrek 2 had nothing on his puppy dog eyes…

"That's cheating…" Riku mumbled, his expression softening immediately. A few people actually 'aww'ed at that. Sora grinned, knowing he'd won.

"I'm too cute, you can't stop me!" He practically sang. Suddenly he felt his feet leave the floor, and found himself staring straight at Riku's back.

"Put me down!" Sora wriggled, but Riku's grip on his was like iron. He had Sora in a proper fireman's lift, and wasn't going to let go. Sora pounded on his back, dutifully. Riku just chuckled.

"Is that supposed to hurt?" Riku asked. Sora hesitantly lifted the back of Riku's shirt. Of course, this made Riku suspicious, but soon the silver haired boy was glaring at Sora, who was trying to tickle him.

"Sora, there's only one place I'm ticklish, and you're not going anywhere near there…" Riku warned. Sora hung limply on his shoulder.

"Aw, why not?" He demanded. This at least, got a reaction. Kairi raised her eyebrows, Yuffie snickered and Leon and Cloud actually drew their attention from each other long enough to take in the fact that Sora was on Riku's shoulder.

"Sora!" Riku's voice sounded shocked. He put Sora on the ground, and the brunet danced away quickly.

"Knew I could get you some way!" Sora stuck his tongue out. It was at that point that two convertibles pulled into the car park. Sora, who had been standing at the edge of the pavement, nearly fell into Sephiroth's car as it pulled up behind him.

"Careful, we don't want our leading man in hospital," Sephiroth joked light-heartedly. Sora giggled but Riku gave him what could only be described as a death glare.

"Don't, he's hyper enough as it is, without you fuelling it," He warned. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows but said nothing, opening the door for Sora, and allowing Yuffie, Kairi, Leon and Cloud into the car. Riku smirked and pulled Sora over to the pink convertible that was Aerith's.

"What is it with you and pink?" Riku asked as he got into the back seats with Sora. She chuckled as she pulled out behind Sephiroth.

"It's pretty…" She protested. Riku rolled his eyes, but Sora was admiring the car, with large eyes.

"Whoa, expensive…" He remarked. Aerith looked at them in her rear-view mirror.

"Not half as expensive as your car, Sora. That thing is lethal looking…" Aerith commented, chuckling slightly. Riku frowned, looking at Sora with puzzled eyes. Sora wasn't old enough to drive…

"Yeah, well… It was bought as a present…" Sora said quietly. Riku blinked at him.

"You have a car?" He asked disbelievingly. Sora chuckled.

"Of course I do, but I don't use it that often because no matter how much my dad bribes police officers, I still get it on my record…" The brunet was so matter-of-fact about it all.

A rich, powerful, old-fashioned family… Hikka…

"Hm… You're uncle's a nice man Sora," Aerith said kindly. Sora chuckled.

"Rough as hell though," He replied. Aerith chuckled.

"That he is. He calls you 'runt'. It's kinda sweet," She giggled. Sora blushed and looked away from Riku's eyes.

"He has many choice expressions. He's probably the only one in my family who I actually like besides Selphie…" Sora said quietly. Before Riku could question Sora about this last comment, they had pulled up next to Sephiroth at a set of traffic lights.

Sephiroth revved his engine, looking at Aerith playfully. She smiled and did the same. Riku hastily put his seat belt on, noting that nearly everyone else was doing the same.

The lights turned from red to green and the cars immediately sped away. Riku laughed when Aerith pulled into the studio car park before Sephiroth. They were getting out of the car when Sephiroth pulled up, looking sheepish.

"I got done for speeding when I took that shortcut…" He mumbled. Riku laughed and helped Sora out of the car. Cloud and Leon clambered out of the back, Yuffie getting out muttering under her breath about being part of a 'boy' smelling sandwich. No one paid much attention.

"Okay kids, you're badges. Without these you won't be able to enter the premises. Keep those safe, if some psycho gets hold of them, that's probably the end of half the actors in the state," Aerith said lightly. Riku hung the little chain with the plastic card around his neck, pulling it under his shirt.

"Ready? Let's go!" Aerith almost skipped away.

"No, no, no!" The director snapped. Sora sighed, running his hands through his hair. He'd never had so much demand on the way he spoke before. He had tried to make that line sound right so many times but each time…

"Again!" The little man ordered. Sora rubbed his eyes, flashing Sephiroth a quick smile. The older man nodded his head, leaning over the mixing desk that was used to record Sora's voice.

Pulling the headphones on, Sora waited for the okay sign.

"You're the one that's chan-" Sora stopped, sighing. Instead he slammed the script shut, thinking of the sketch he'd seen of himself and Kairi. The director looked about to blow a fuse.

"You're the one that's changed Kairi…" ::Friendship, warmth, a slight chuckle::

"Finally!" The director's voice came through Sora's earphones. Sora sighed, running his hands through his hair. This wasn't as fun as he'd thought it would be. It was damned hard work…

"Okay Sora, now we're going to put you all together for this conversation on page three. Do you want a break first?" Sephiroth asked. Sora nodded meekly, pulling off the headphones and stumbling out of the room.

He shot the director his best death glare, which made the little man laugh.

"You'll hate me a lot more by the end of this picture," He promised. Sora groaned and sat on a couch where the others were waiting. A few of them looked apprehensive, Cloud especially.

"Sorry I'm late, damn traffic held me up. Seph, how're you doin'?" A gruff voice called. Sephiroth turned and smiled.

"Cid you old dog, how are you?" He shook Cid's hand firmly. Sora looked up to see his uncle, and through the shock, he laughed, jumping up and embracing his uncle.

"Whoa! Oh god, it's the little runt kid. How are you boy?" Cid's voice held a little more concern than usual.

"What are you doing here?" Sora demanded, smiling up at him. Cid shrugged.

"I gotta call saying I was going to be in a movie. Like hell I was goin' to pass up on that chance!" Cid turned to Sephiroth, who was grinning quite evilly.

"Well, I'm not sure we'll get that done today… There have been a few hiccups…" Sephiroth looked at Sora. Cid followed the gaze and guffawed.

"You have this goon in it? No wonder…" He ruffled Sora's hair and then pushed the boy away, Sora sat down, a grin plastered on his face, feeling slightly more energetic.

"Have you talked to George about-" Cid began, looking at Sora through the corner of his eye. Sephiroth nodded sharply, and that was the end of that conversation. Sora briefly wondered what they were talking about, but Riku tapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's get this scene out of the way…" He suggested. Sora nodded, standing up.

"Oh, for the love of Jesus Christ!" The director yelled. Sora winced and stared at the script blankly. Kairi forced her fit of giggles away. It had been too much for her, just the seriousness of the other two boys…

"Sorry," She apologised, and took a deep breath.

"Again, from the top," The man called. Sora waited for Kairi to begin.

"Say we do get to another world, what would you do there?" ::Humour, curiosity, naïvety::

"I… haven't really thought about it…" ::Regret, tinged with uncertainty::

Sora tried to ignore Yuffie, who had her nose pushed up against the glass, Cid's face above hers, doing the same thing. Eventually, he couldn't help it any longer and he began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Yuffie!" He whined as a stream of obscenities was hurled at him. Sephiroth raised his eyebrows and looked over at the offending pair. He lead them out by the ear, leaving Sora to do his scene.

"What take is it now? Eleven or twelve?" Kairi asked. Riku shrugged, so far, he was the only one of them who hadn't made a mistake.

"Again!" The director yelled and they ran through it one more time.

Kairi walked out, leaving Sora and Riku alone in the recording booth.

"The paopu scene. Begin!" Riku had actually bothered to learn the director's name, unlike everyone else. He was an Irish man, named Patrick Daire.

"Sora!" Riku called. He saw the boy's expressions. Riku realised Sora was trying a new tactic, to actually act out the scene. He was having trouble getting his voice tones right, but now his words were flowing easier.

"A paopu fruit?"

"You wanted one, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. C'mon, I know you want to try it!" With me…

"What're you-"

"Hahahahaha…"

Riku looked over at Sora who was looking surprisingly cheerful. The director also looked fairly pleased.

"Again, but Riku… Put a little bit more cheerfulness into your laughter… You're teasing Sora, you actually like to do it," The director told him. Riku grinned evilly.

"Hell, don't I know it…"

"So tired…" Sora mumbled as he fell through the doorway. Cid was beside him, holding his shoulder. Selphie was sat on the stairs looking miserable. Sora saw his dad and his mother arguing, screaming at each other from across the hall.

"Go up to your rooms kids. Preferable together," Cid instructed. Sora did as he was told, letting Selphie into his room. He told her all about recording and how tiring it was.

When everything was quiet, half an hour later, Selphie left leaving Sora alone. As he fell asleep he thought just one thing. I forgot to tell Riku…

Riku didn't wake up until midday, and, seeing as it was a Saturday, he figured there wasn't much point in going out or doing anything. He sat down at his computer, checking his inbox.

"Junk, junk junk… E-mail from Yuffie… Junk, junk… Cloud?" Riku left that box unchecked and deleted all the others. He opened Cloud's e-mail, seeing a picture open on the screen. It was of him and Sora, sat in the recording studio with Kairi.

Sora had just messed up and they were all chuckling. Outside, the director was jumping up and down clawing at his face. Outside, Leon, Yuffie and Cid were stood to one side so Cloud could get the picture.

It was really… sweet…

__

Hey Riku, just thought you'd appreciate the photo. Had to send this to you from the library, seeing as I don't have a computer and am a pauper… L I'll see you at school. From Cloud.

"Cute," Leon remarked. Riku jumped, then smiled.

"Uh-huh…" He replied. Leon sighed, sitting down on Riku's bed.

"It's only a matter of time before Cloud and I get together, but how about you and Sora?" He asked. Riku frowned.

"There is no me and Sora," He replied. Leon raised his eyebrows.

"You don't like him anymore?" He asked. Riku signed into MSN, hoping that someone would be online. Anyone would be alright…

"It's not that… He's getting married… He's got a lot of problems and he doesn't trust me enough to tell me… He's so… so unlike me that he would never understand me. It's better if I just hide my feelings from him…" Riku explained. Leon's eyes watched him as he checked his contact list.

There were a lot of people Riku would never have wanted to speak to again. People from New York, annoying people who'd got hold of his e-mail address, Yuffie. But there was Sora and Kairi…

"And what if he's thinking something similar, huh? What happens then? Are you happy not knowing, Riku?" Leon asked. Riku ignored him, IM Sora to get him to talk.

**__**

♪Hello it's me, I'm not at home if you'd like to reach me then leave me alone♪ says:

Hey Riku!

**__**

Ace Of ♠ says:

Hey. How are you?

**__**

♪Hello it's me, I'm not at home if you'd like to reach me then leave me alone♪ says:

Tired… U?

**__**

Ace Of ♠ says:

Tired too. Did you get that picture off Cloud?

**__**

♪Hello it's me, I'm not at home if you'd like to reach me then leave me alone♪ says:

Uh-huh, can I set it as the convo background?

**__**

Ace Of ♠ says:

Yeah…

**__**

Ace Of ♠ says:

Cool… You want to do something later?

**__**

♪Hello it's me, I'm not at home if you'd like to reach me then leave me alone♪ says:

Sorry, I gotta help Selphie with her martial arts. Buh-bye!!!

**__**

♪Hello it's me, I'm not at home if you'd like to reach me then leave me alone♪ has signed out.

"Riku have you listened to a word I've said?" Leon demanded. Riku looked over his shoulder.

"Pardon?"

"What?" Sora asked. Selphie shrugged.

"C'mon Sora! Just stand there and get hit!" She protested. Sora rolled his eyes and tensed his stomach muscles. He wondered why Selphie couldn't hit her punch bag…

"Oof! Not so hard Selph!" He protested. She smiled.

"Well defend yourself then!" She replied. Sora thought back at their conversation so far. Hadn't Selphie just told him to stand still and get-

"Whoa," Sora stepped back to avoid a kick. Selphie's face was set in determination, as she relentlessly attacked.

Sora blocked as well as he could, but Selphie had obviously adapted her fighting style from the traditional, as she always ended up landing a blow.

Sora was beginning to sweat, as he felt his back press up against the wall. Selphie landed a back fist into his temple and he felt it all go dark…

Selphie was dancing around the dojo in a purple gi, giggling and leaping. Sora rubbed his head and tilted it to one side.

"I Ninja…" She announced proudly. Sora frowned and wondered why he couldn't move. He looked down, realising that his clothes had been sewn to the carpet. When had that happened?

He forced and struggled, and Selphie and the dojo melted away. What was happening? Sora felt panic rise up inside him.

"I Ninja!" He heard Selphie triumphant giggle. He opened his eyes, not remembering when he closed them, in bed.

He looked around, it was his room, and Selphie was sat there, dressed in that ridiculous sundress again… His eyes drifted around his room, and finally came to rest on the end of his bed.

"Riku?" He muttered. The silver haired boy smiled.

"It's nice of you to wake up, sleepy-head…" The boy virtually purred. Sora blinked as Riku moved up the bed. Selphie got up and left the room without a word.

Without another word, Riku pushed his lips against Sora's, his hand slipping down the waistband of Sora's jeans.

"Ri-ku…" He gasped. The boy pulled away, frowning. Suddenly his features morphed into… Kairi?

"Riku? Who's Riku? Are you daydreaming again Sora?" Kairi demanded. Sora panicked, as Kairi tried to kiss him. He rolled off the bed and began to run through the corridors of his house. He opened the door and there was his father.

But his father was grinning evilly. He raised his fist but Sora was already falling…

"Sora!" Selphie squeaked as the boy sat up, his breathing rapid. She decided not to mention what had happened to the boy during that little… dream… She'd let him work that out himself…

Sora blushed and stood up.

"I better…" He began. Selphie nodded. Sora padded his way to his bedroom, grabbing some clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. Selphie bit her lip.

"Sora? I think you and Riku would make a better couple that you and Kairi…" She said quietly through the door. She could almost feel Sora's embarrassment but she continued anyhow.

"You and Riku are right together. So right it's wrong that someone should come between you, someone like that bitch anyhow… Grrr… I'd like to karate chop her some time!" Selphie growled. Sora stepped out of the bathroom, and Selphie realised he'd managed to shower in the time it had taken for her to work up the courage to talk to Sora about his love life…

"Thanks Selphie. I'll tell him how I feel tomorrow…" Sora hugged her tightly. Selphie giggled.

"You should have heard yourself in your sleep Sora… RiKu…" She teased. Sora grabbed at her, but she danced away.

"I Ninja! You not catch Ninja Selphie!" She called. Sora laughed and lunged at her again. He caught her this time.

"No telling anyone about that Selphie!" He threatened. She smiled.

"It is a Ninja promise!" She nodded. Sora rolled his eyes and let her go. She saluted him, and skipped away.

"She is such a freak…" Sora said lovingly as Selphie walked away…

****

Ending Notes:

__

Hm… Not quite so much emphasis on 'I Ninja' but… Oh well, tell me what you think. Thank you for being patient, it will be rewarded, I promise you!


	16. A Turn For The Worse

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Sixteen:

A Turn For The Worse

Author's Note:

I can hear you groaning as you read the title of this chapter. You just knew I wasn�t going to make it that easy for Sora to admit his feelings, didn�t you? It seems to me as though there�s been an awful lot happening over the last sixteen chapters, and it�s been so drawn out, and then the rest of the events just go bam-bam-bam like that�

Oh well�

Review for your thank you certificate.

****

Disclaimer:

I don�t own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

* * *

Eva, who always arrived at five am every morning, shook Riku awake. He glanced at the clock, noting it was the wrong side of six am and tried to go to sleep. Then he received a sharp slap across the face.

"Wake up!" Eva snapped. Riku rubbed his face, glaring at the woman unashamedly. However, Eva's expression silenced any remarks from the platinum haired boy.

"Riku� It's your mother. The ambulance will be here shortly but... It's not looking good," Eva said gently. Riku sprang to his feet, pushing passed her none too lightly and almost throwing her into the wall.

Oh God! Mom! Mom! Please let her be alright�

Riku ran into the room to see his mother hooked up to the emergency support machines that had been hidden away in the closets. Leon was sat beside her, his eyes red.

"I woke up and found her... She didn't respond to what I was saying... I hooked her up to the life support but I made a few mistakes... I was lucky Eva came to help me," Leon admitted. Riku grabbed his mother's hand, reassured when it was still warm.

"Mom, I'm here. Riku's here. C'mon Mom! Open your eyes!" Riku begged, tears falling down his cheeks onto his mother's pristine bedclothes. He clenched her hand, knowing if she were awake he'd be hurting her.

"I'm sorry boys, but the hospital has phoned back� Their ambulances have been sent to a boarding school that's on fire. They say it could be a further twenty minutes before one of their ambulances reach us," Eva said apologetically.

The two brothers looked at each other, their eyes glistening with tears, and silently prayed that twenty minutes wouldnt make much difference.

* * *

Sora took a deep breath as he entered the classroom. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but the idea was that he would ask Riku to go out the classroom with him. They'd go to Sora's locker, where he had a simple rose, well, a black rose, he thought Riku would prefer that.

He would tell Riku about his feelings then, hopefully, Riku would say he returned them. If not, Sora would simply blush and apologise, before going back into the classroom feeling a bit of a fool.

However, when he looked into the classroom, Riku wasn't there. Sora sat down, watching the doorway, waiting for Riku to enter. When the bell went however, Sora bit his lip. Riku never missed school...

The teacher walked in, and as she read the register, he noticed she didn't even bother to read Riku's name out. Why? Sora got up to the front of the class, at the end of registration and leaned on her desk.

"Where's Riku, ma'am?" He asked. The teacher's lips pursed.

"I'm afraid that's for him to tell people, when he's ready. It's to be revealed at his discretion, not mine," She said sternly. Sora felt his heart sink. Something had happened to Riku, and he wasn't going to be in�

That rose would die and then he'd have to go and cut another from the garden� A black rose� He'd had to feed them ink through their water. His mother had been quite shocked when she'd seen a black rose bush in her garden.

Stupid woman...

"Oh, c'mon! Please?" Sora tried his best puppy dog look, the kind that would melt snowmen, but the teacher regarded him with the same stony stare. Sighing, Sora gave up, he wasn't getting any information from that source.

"It is at-" The teacher began. Sora rolled his eyes.

"I know, I know, Riku's discretion�" He droned. Glad her message had got through, the teacher nodded her head and returned to her work. Sora trudged out of the room.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" Riku demanded. The poor doctor was flicking through his mother's file, it was at least three times the file of any of the other patients. He finally found what he was looking for and shoved it in Riku's general direction before running back to finish his work with Riku's mom.

"That was rather rude�" Leon commented, watching the doctor leave.

"But informative," Riku replied, as his eyes scanned the page. He skipped the words he didn't understand, the medical terms, but he understood it, mostly.

"What?" Leon asked. Riku sat down, handing him the piece of paper, running his hands through his hair.

"This is the information on the drugs mom's taking," Leon stated. Riku nodded, watching Leon�s expression as he read further.

"What the?" He breathed. Riku sighed.

"Yeah, that's right. It wasn't a 'wonder-drug' at all... It was just one that took the pain away... Mom's been through them all now, so she just consigned to taking pain killers... Leon, she's going to die..." Riku's voice broke. Leon looked at his younger brother, and wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

Hearing Leon try to soothe him slightly, Riku forced himself to calm down. Had he ever really thought that his mother had found a wonder-drug? The fact that she'd lied to them about it made him think that perhaps she had thought she'd just pass away quietly in her sleep?

So she wouldn't have to say goodbye�

"Mom�" Riku whimpered. Leon stroked his hair, trying to somehow take away Riku's pain through such a simple gesture.

"I wish Sora were here..." He whispered, Leon didn't reply.

"I know he'd understand�"

* * *

"I don't understand!" Sora whined. Kairi sighed and gave up explaining the subtleties of mixing chemicals in chemistry. She rolled her eyes. She had made a great show of pairing up with Sora, and made it quite clear that she was only doing it out of pity because Riku wasn't here. 

"Why isn't Riku here anyhow?" She asked after a while. Sora bit his lip.

"I don't know... It sounds serious but those who know won't tell me, and no one else seems to have a clue what's going on. A few people are saying that they saw an ambulance outside Riku's house this morning which makes me even more worried..." Sora said quietly. Kairi made a slightly 'oh' sound.

"I hope he's okay� I don't like him much, but I'd hate for anything to happen to him..." She said. Sora nodded.

"Well, we've got to find Leon, he'll know what's going on. Would you... help me?" He asked.

The red head looked thoughtful for a second, then she grinned.

"Sure! The search for Leon begins!"

* * *

Cloud leaned against his locker, thoroughly depressed. He had counted on Leon being here today, for the sole purpose of flirting with him... Well, it was too late now... 

However, Cloud was still pissed he hadn't had a phone call or anything... He'd even gone to the effort of wearing the scent that Leon had said he liked... Well, that was tough, he wasn't wearing it tomorrow.

Sighing, Cloud ran his hand through his hair. He hadn't realised how dependent he'd become on Leon. He was almost like a child clinging onto their father. Except no kid daydreams of molesting their father...

Smirking to himself, Cloud looked up the corridor to see Sora and Kairi walking towards him. He looked up and smiled, but only received one from Kairi.

"Where's Leon?" Sora demanded. Cloud blinked.

"He's not here today," Cloud replied. Sora glared at Cloud, as though it were his fault.

"Why?" The brunet demanded. Cloud frowned.

"You don't have to be rude you know. I don't know why, he hasn't been in touch. I assume he's just sick or something� Say, where's the other half?" Cloud peered behind Sora and Kairi to look for Riku, who obviously wasn't there.

"He's not here today..." Sora replied. "That's why we wanted to find Leon. We were trying to find out where Riku is... If Leon's not here either..." Sora trailed off into thought.

"Maybe they went on holiday?" Kairi suggested cheerily. Sora and Cloud glared at her as one.

"Without telling me?" They said together. Kairi giggled.

"You sound like their boyfriends!" She said, in between girly giggles. Cloud knew he was blushing like mad, he noted that Sora was too. It was at that moment when Selphie bounded up, followed by Yuffie, huge grins on their faces.

"So, did you tell Riku?" She teased. Cloud noted that Sora's blush got deeper.

"He's not here today�" Sora replied. Selphie's face fell.

"That's too bad, because I had the most romantic idea for you!" She announced. Everyone looked at Sora, who hastily averted his eyes to the floor.

"You like Riku?" Kairi asked. Sora bit his lip.

"Um� Yeah?" He said. Kairi stepped away.

"Why is it all the guys I think are hot turn gay! It's not fair!" She protested, although she was grinning.

"First Cloud, then Riku and Leon, now you. Now all I need is for Tidus and Wakka to get together and all the fit boys will be gone!" She then looked up and down the corridor.

"I have to go and apologise to Tidus for being such a bitch before he turns homo!" She squealed and ran off down the corridor.

"I think that was called a 'Selphie' moment," Cloud commented. Selphie shook her head.

"Nah, even I know that Tidus and Wakka are dating already..." She replied. Sora and Cloud looked at each other.

* * *

One in thirty people are homosexual or bisexual. In the western world, homosexuality is embraced across the board and accepted by the majority of people. However, what is it like to be a homosexual in a less welcoming country? We interviewed Ahmed Singh�

Riku sighed, throwing the magazine onto the waiting room table. Leon looked up from his magazine that he'd bribed a kid for who was passing through with a broken leg.

"Can I read that one yet?" Riku demanded. Leon sighed.

"Okay... Let me just read the 'Pandora' strip," He flicked through the magazine, looked at it for about five seconds, smiled vaguely and passed it to Riku.

"Life is Loud�" Riku read allowed. Riku shuddered. Death is certainly quiet then... This place is more quiet than a morgue... Perhaps it is�

They were in the Intensive Care unit's waiting room, they were the only ones there, and they had been waiting for hours now. Both of them had calmed down from the shock, their mom had stabilised and they were talking about letting her go home in a few weeks.

They had also told the boys what had happened. They explained it was like a small hiccup, a smaller version of what would happen when their mother passed away. He explained that this time, they'd caught her just in time and they'd been able to revive her, next time her organs would just shut down.

The doctor walked in, sitting down on the chair opposite Riku and Leon.

"Right boys, I can tell you your mother is fine. She looks a little worse for wear, so we suggest you come back tomorrow to see her. I would also recommend staying with friends tonight. It might be a bit strange to be in the house without her," The doctor advised. Riku looked at Leon.

"Doctor, we'd rather get used to not having her there... It's inevitable isn't it?" Leon asked. The doctor sighed.

"I'd give her... Two months at most, about April time. She'll be fine right up until the day she dies, it might be quite sudden. I'd just enjoy these last few months..." The doctor's tone was sympathetic.

"Thank you doctor," Riku said quietly. The man nodded and stood up, shaking Leon's hand and finally Riku's. He looked hard at Riku's eyes.

"You remind me of someone..." He said. Riku sighed.

"Sephiroth or Aerith?" He asked. The man laughed and clapped Riku's shoulders.

"I would say both!" The doctor said good-naturedly. Riku appreciated he was only trying to lighten to mood, but right now he didn't want to be reminded of his other parents when the one he cared about most was lying attached to life support machines.

"The Cordeles are my real parents, I was adopted by the Leonharts when I was nine..." Riku explained. The doctor looked at him as though he didn't believe him, but said nothing and left shortly after.

Leon sighed deeply, his tired eyes roaming the room before finally landing back on Riku.

"You should phone Seph and Aerith, explain to them what's happened... And Sora too..." Leon added. Riku bit his lip.

"I'll phone Seph, but Sora? I dunno... I get the feeling he'd rush to get here. I don't want him to see me... like this�" Riku whispered. Leon nodded. How selfish am I? I don't want to look weak so I push him away when I need him most�

"All about appearances, huh?" Leon asked coldly.

"To Sora, I must seem so strong and calm... I don't want to break that preconception..." Riku smiled sadly. Yes, his mom had two months to live, but Sora wouldn't see him cry. He was stronger than that in the brunet's eyes.

"To Sora you're perfect," Leon muttered. Riku raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Perfect? I'm far from it... I've hurt that boy more than I've ever made him smile... Why does he keep coming back?

"Whether you want to tell him or not, Sora is going to want to know why you weren't at school� I've no doubt that they're all sat there, in their last lesson of the day, making up stories about where we are...."

* * *

"It's just further proof of an incestuous relationship!" Kairi giggled. Cloud and Sora laughed, and it was then that they realised that almost the entire class was listening to their conversation. Deciding to carry on regardless, Sora thought of another reason. 

"Maybe they've gone to visit relatives?" He suggested. Kairi pondered this for a second.

"Wouldn't explain the secrecy..." Cloud deduced. Sora sighed.

"Maybe they have some embarrassing STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease)?" Kairi suggested, her chuckles were heard across the classroom. Cloud smirked.

"Nah, Leon hasn't had sex since he came here," The blonde informed them. Sora's eyebrows raised almost to his hairline.

"And you'd know because...?" He prompted. Cloud stretched lazily, putting his hands behind his head. Kairi watched, interested.

"Because he told me. Heh heh heh, I've been laid more times than he has..." Cloud's snigger was soft but Sora detected a little hint of something in it... Like Cloud was nervous or something.

"Ah, so you think you'll be on top huh..." Sora asked. Kairi squeaked.

"I don't mind being uke, if that's what you mean Sora. Besides, if you ever manage to get with Riku, I'd be very interested in what you'd be... I couldn't see you being all submissive..." Cloud teased. Sora turned bright red and looked away.

"Are you trying to seduce me Sora?" Riku's voice was low, soft, almost as though he were caressing Sora's mind as Sora longed him to do so with his body... Sora groaned, nodding, hoping that Riku would take away the longing...

"Pardon?" Riku teased. Sora felt himself facing two voices. One screaming at him to stop, the other wondering what it would be like...

"Yes I am," Sora replied. He felt Riku's soft touch on his cheek, it was so gentle, so loving. The more he felt it, the more he liked it. He wanted to stay like that forever, just sit there and let Riku touch him...

"You're not doing a very good job... I'm getting bored..." Riku sat back, away from Sora, enjoying teasing the boy. So Riku wanted Sora to touch him in return? Well Sora could be a tease too, when he wanted to be... He straddled the platinum haired boy's waist.

"I don't think you are..." Sora murmured, enjoying the feel of Riku's soft skin against the tips of his fingers. Running his hands around, watching the boy's expression, the muscles tensing. He ran his hands into Riku's hair, admiring how silky it felt as it glided through his fingers. He lifted the boy's face towards his, so they were looking into each other's eyes.

"I think you want me to seduce you... You want to be uke..." Sora whispered against Riku's lips. Sora's control went out of the window as he kissed Riku passionately, wondering why it felt so right...

"I think it'd be a tough choice," Sora admitted, aware of a blush spreading across his face. Kairi's mouth opened and closed quickly.

"I can't believe you're talking about your sex lives with an innocent little girl sat here! I mean, I don't want to mental images... Too late..." Kairi added, miserably. Sora grinned, he actually quite liked those mental images...

"Hey, we had some pretty bad ones when you described what happened between you and Zell!" Cloud said. Sora frowned.

"Huh?" He asked. Kairi blushed.

"Well, I was Zell's first... you know� I kinda told Selphie all the gory details and she told everyone..." Kairi's voice was quite low. Sora's mouth was hanging open.

"You kissed and told?" He demanded. Kairi's blush got deeper, two splotches of pink appeared on her cheek.

"Well� It helped Selphie and him get together, because he wasn't too confident with girls before then. Now at least he'll-" Kairi stopped when Sora made gagging noise.

"Please don't finish that sentence with 'keep her happy' Kairi. That's my little sister and her boyfriend we're talking about!" He protested. Cloud smirked and tilted his head to one side.

"Selphie doesn't strike me as some sex fiend anyway. I doubt they've even spoken about sex yet," Cloud reassured his friend. Sora sighed, he was probably right after all. Kairi kept her mouth shut, but if Sora had looked up it would have said it all.

It clearly said 'yeah-they-didn't-speak-about-it-they-just-did-it!'.

"I wonder what Leon and Riku are doing right now?"

* * *

"Instant noodles? Yum..." Riku pretended to be interested in the food that had been placed in front of him. Leon shrugged sitting down opposite him. Neither were terribly hungry, though they hadn't eaten since the previous evening. 

"I phoned Seph, he said he'll come round later with Aerith to 'hang out'. God knows what that means but I'm dreading it already..." Riku mumbled. Leon sighed.

"I know this sounds cruel, but they are your parents. To be honest, mom's gonna die and soon.. Shouldn't you try to become closer to your parents?" The brunet asked. Riku forced himself to eat some noodles. Seph and Aerith weren't just a meal ticket...

"I know�" He said after swallowing the 'noodle textured cardboard'.

"You can do the washing up seeing as I cooked," Leon said. Riku glared at him.

"You call this cooking? You just add water!" He protested. Leon shrugged.

"What do you do in washing up? Just add water," He replied, getting up and carrying his plate up to his room. So Riku was left alone in the kitchen, with just himself and a plate of noodles.

"I want my mom back..." Riku hissed, tears falling down his face. "God, I just want my mom..."

* * *

"Why do we have parents? All they seem to do is make my life hell..." Sora complained. Sakura chuckled, as Sora kicked her ass at Tekken 4 yet again. He eventually grew bored, seeing as the competition wasn't very good.

"Let's play something else�" He said finally. Sakura nodded, rummaging through his games once more and holding up another game.

"Catz?" He asked. She nodded, running to his PC and installing the program that had been deleted when Sora had got bored of it. She reinstalled it, heading to the adoption centre immediately.

"Let's see... Sora� You look like a tabby... Hm� What other species are there? No, you're not an Egyptian Mau..." Sakura went through the list, deciding on 'Maine Coon' for Sora, even though she had wanted to put him as an 'Alley Cat'.

"Let's see... Some of your friends from the party..." Sakura mused. She bit her bottom lip.

"Leon would be a 'Tabby'... Cloud� Hm, a hard one there... 'Egyptian Mau'... Riku� 'Siamese'." She rambled. Upon hearing Riku's name, Sora paid attention.

"Russian Blue," He suggested. She raised her eyebrows.

"Russian Blue's are beautiful aristocrats you'll love to own? But Riku sounds more like a Siamese, Siamese Catz are playful but can be a bit independent and finicky," Sakura suggest. Sora sighed.

"He's a cross between the two I guess... But he's more elegant that those ugly Siamese things..." The brunet said. Sakura shrugged.

"Sure, you know him best," She replied. It was only when Sakura had left that Sora actually studied in detail what she'd done.

It was then he realised that he was a female cat, and the pair she'd been trying to get to breed were himself and Riku.

Sora grinned, imagining what he was going to tell Riku the next day when he was back at school. (Sora had decided that if Riku spent more than a day of school he was in fact dead, and therefore, they wouldn't need to worry anymore.)

"Riku, honey, I'm pregnant with kittens," Sora grinned evilly. This could be quite funny.

* * *

Riku sat on his own, his room was dark and the only light came from his computer screen. On it, the Matchmaker game was playing to itself, Cloud and Leon were doing obscene things in the shower and Sora and Riku were sitting down to a romantic dinner.

If only reality were one of those games...

"Squirt?" Leon poked his head through the door. Riku looked up, smiling briefly.

"You go back to school tomorrow, I'm going to stay at home, seeing as I only have one lesson I like tomorrow anyway. I'll call you if there's any news, but you need your friends right now," Leon's voice clearly told Riku that if he argued, he would just end up getting hit.

"Okay..." Riku replied. Leon ran his hands through his hair.

"You realise that when... it... happens, I won't be allowed to be your legal guardian right? That it will have to be Aerith and Sephiroth� I'm not twenty-one..." Leon said haltingly. Riku sighed.

"I know..." He replied. The brunet sat back.

"I don't know what I'll do. I guess mom will sort it all out, huh?" Leon asked. Riku curled into a ball on his bed. How could Leon be so calm? They were talking about a time when their mom might not be alive�

And, biologically, although that really didn't matter, Leon was closer to his mother. Why wasn't he so upset and angry like Riku?

"I'm going to go downstairs and watch TV, okay?" Leon asked. Riku clenched his fists, but still exploded in the startled brunet's face.

"No, it's not 'okay', it's not 'okay' at all! You're acting as though nothing's wrong! You're acting as though she's just going away for a long trip. She's going to be fucking dead. How can you talk about legal guardians and crap like that?" Riku demanded. Leon's face hardened now he'd got over the initial shock of having abuse hurled at him.

Riku finally knew what it was like to be on the opposite end of Leon's anger.

"Wake up Riku! She was always going to die! Maybe you were living in dreamland all these years as her health deteriorated faster and faster each day. I can't believe you'd be so blind! This doesn't come as a shock to me, my father reminded me every fucking day that I was the reason my mom was dying. I've been through all the guilt, all the years of watching her love another child that wasn't her own more than she loved me. I wasn't jealous, but I was able to get to terms with the fact that no matter what happened, she was going to die. I have no doubt that it'll be you who she cries out for on her death bed..." With that, Leon stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Riku swallowed hard. He felt the tears rise in his eyes. Leon thought their mom loved Riku more than him? That was wrong... All Amy had ever talked about to him had been Leon...

Riku had just been the only person she could brag to about her son. The one she'd been able to give birth to, the one she loved more than anything in the world.

Riku was her son, and she loved him and Leon equally, but there would always be that bond between the two...

It saddened Riku to think that Leon thought that way... But at the same time, he felt guilt wash over him...

He had been the orphan who craved for attention. Before, Leon had been an only child and had been the centre of attention. Suddenly, Riku waltzes in with his charming cheeky smile and his strange features and he's all anyone can talk about.

But Leon hadn't been jealous... He'd accepted Riku, welcomed him, played with him and took a back seat... It had been Leon who had risked his life for his mother to pay for her healthcare... It hadn't been Riku...

Feeling extremely sorry for himself now, Riku glanced back at the screen.

He and Sora were arguing about something, something that was obviously so trivial. The two simulated people walked away, before turning around and running back, apologising profusely.

Riku smiled sadly.

If there was one person who he had to explain this to, it was Sora. He might destroy his own appearance in Sora's eyes, but he would gain a stronger connection with the boy�

And a confidant that would never hurt him on purpose�

****

Ending Notes:

Yup, I did it, I basically said, Riku�s mom will die, it�s only a matter of time. I also put off the admittance chapter, but I suppose that seems rather trivial now, doesn�t it? Riku�s mom dying versus Sora�s petty �I, um, I r-really like you� Riku?�

Well, I�ll let you decide, because naturally, I live for your reviews. I was rather chuffed with the amount of reviews I�ve been getting. Thank you so much!!!

I'm sorry, I've spent over 2 hours going through this because messed it up when I uploaded it.... Grr....


	17. Let Me Comfort You

****

Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Seventeen:

Let Me Comfort You

Author's Note:

I actually did create little Riku/Sora kittens (Yup, I'm twisted). They are so so so so so so so CUTE! Much better than the runts that some of my other catz created… shudders

Once you've read this, please read 'Beautiful', my one shot. It's not especially brilliant or anything, but it is a one shot about what could have happened. But, in fact, doesn't. Please R&R…

(I apologise for the way the last chapter was… The little boxes were meant to be '…' or ' ß - that symbol… However, the new editor system completely destroys this. It also removes all my separators… In short, I hate it… It's wrecked one of the most crucial chapters in my fiction… Grrr… And I spent about 3 hours editing it to change all the punctuation back to normal, then it didn't damn work… Rawr!!!)

From now on page breaks are represented by '666' and hopefully that will work… glares at updater people… probably gnomes… CHANGE IT BACK cries

**Merry Christmas** to all my reviewers!!! Think of this as an early Xmas pressie. There will be no more updates until the New Year. Sand In My Shoes (see my bio), the first chapter, will probably be uploaded in the mean time. Anyone who wants to beta SIMS please send me an e-mail with SIMS as the title. Thank you.

****

Disclaimer:

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

666 

Cloud was shaken awake by his mother, who wasn't dressed for work yet. She looked worse for wear, and was wearing a simple white night-gown. The blonde tried to go back to sleep, but he felt a none-too light slap on his head.

"Don't you dare go back to sleep!" She snapped. Cloud looked at the clock. 8:45pm… Am I supposed to be somewhere?

…

"School!" Cloud sat up, running around to get dressed. His mother chuckled.

"It's okay, you're not going," She said quietly. Cloud raised his eyebrows, it was unlike his mother to let him skive off school. What was with her this morning?

"Why not?" Cloud demanded. She sighed.

"You're going to Leon's house to make sure he's not alone," She replied, her voice so soft he could barely hear it.

"Why isn't he at school?" Cloud asked. Eva leaned against the wall. Cloud had never seen her look so old. He realised that there was grey streaking her hair now, and there were wrinkles around her eyes. He had never noticed that before…

"Cloud… Yesterday, their mom, Amy, was taken into hospital. They've given her until the end of April, max, to live. Leon called to update me on her condition. He says he forced Riku to go to school, 'to find Sora' he said. He's in that house all alone and I don't like it. So I want you to be there," Eva explained. Cloud felt his heart weigh down.

Just what do you say to someone who just found out their mother was dying?

"I don't want to end upset him further… Just what do you expect me to say? 'Oh Leon, sorry your mom's dying, do you wanna hang out for a bit'?" Cloud laughed, it sounded so stupid. What was his mom thinking? If Leon had sent his own brother away, was it likely he wanted to see Cloud?

"You're going, that's the end of it," Eva said, but there was no venom in her voice. Cloud was sure if he'd pushed it, he'd have got out of it, but secretly, he wanted to see Leon…

Perhaps he would be able to offer comfort that no one else could?

666 

Riku walked through the door of the classroom to see everyone looking at him. Yes, he knew his eyes were red, he knew he looked like death warmed up, he knew that his hair was lankly hanging around his face and that he looked tired. He knew that the spark had gone from his eyes. He wished they'd stop pointing it out to him…

But he still managed a smile when he saw Sora. The brunet was grinned at him insanely. In fact, the brunet was jumping up to greet him, running forward to embrace his best friend.

Riku withdrew from the classroom, and Sora followed as expected. Sora blinked up at him for a second, and his grin disappeared.

"What's the matter?" He asked. Riku felt the tears begin to fall once more, and even though Sora was obviously bursting with news, Riku was the first to start speaking.

"My mom's dying Sora… She's only two months…" He couldn't continue, but instead, just fell into Sora's embrace, hoping that the brunet would always catch him that way.

666 

Cloud ran his hands through his messy hair. He watched his mother's car disappear down the road. He could just make a run for it but…

He sighed, ringing the doorbell. There was no answer. Cloud considered leaving then, but he rang the doorbell again. This time there was a stirring behind the door and he heard the sound of a bolt being slid across and the sound of a lock being opened.

The door opened to reveal Leon, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt with 'Jackass' written on it and the official 'Jackass' symbol on it. His hair had been left down, Cloud noticed it had grown quite a bit, and was now down to below his shoulder blades, it was messy however, and obviously was unbrushed.

"Ah, Cloud, I wasn't expecting visitors… Say, shouldn't you be in school?" Leon asked. Cloud waited on the door step, hands in jeans pockets, label on his 'HIM' T-shirt beginning to irritate him, and light drizzle beginning to soak him.

"Yeah, but… well…" Cloud looked at the ground. How to say what he wanted to…?

"I'm here for you… Just here to comfort you…" Cloud tried to smile, but it was too much. Leon's eyes looked Cloud up and down, then he stepped aside, allowing Cloud into the house.

Once inside, Cloud removed his shoes, before following Leon up to his room. This time it wasn't too messy, in fact it was pretty reasonable even by Cloud's standards.

"I tidied it up last night to take my mind off things…" Leon explained, noting Cloud's approving gaze. Smiling, Cloud sat down on Leon's bed. He wasn't sure whether he was supposed to get Leon to talk or try to take his mind off it…

"Cloud? Thank you for coming by… I know you probably don't know what to say, but just the fact that you're here is enough…" Leon smiled, then gestured to his PlayStation.

"You want a game?" He asked. Cloud nodded, sitting down on the floor and picking up the controller. He noted that Leon sat very close to him, then scolded himself for thinking about making moves on someone who was practically grieving.

"I'm always Lee, there's no way you're taking him!" Cloud squealed, as Leon tried to select Lee as his playable character in Tekken.

"Sorry, how about being Hwoarang?" Leon asked apologetically. Well, Cloud wasn't quite as good at it as Sora, but he'd learned quite a lot from the boy during their long friendship, and he knew that puppy dog eyes and pouts did work for guys.

"Aw, c'mon that's cheating!" Leon protested. Cloud blinked at him innocently a few times, and Leon sighed, unselecting his character and selecting Kazuya instead.

"You know, I always wondered about the sexuality of Kazuya… I always thought that he and Lee looked better together…" Cloud commented. Leon raised his eyebrows causing the blonde to chuckle.

"What?" He asked, still chuckling. Leon shook his head and waited for the fight to begin…

666 

"It's not your fault Riku… C'mon, stop crying… Please?" Sora pleaded. This hadn't gone the way he'd hoped. He had been planning on telling Riku he liked him today, but now… Suddenly his stupid hormones didn't matter…

"I'm sorry…" Riku sniffled.

"Huh?" Sora looked down into the aquamarine ocean of Riku's eyes.

"I'm sorry that I'm so weak…" Riku whispered. Sora's eyes widened. What the? Weak? He's the strongest person I know!

"Weak? Riku, you are far from weak! Everyone would cry if they'd known that their mom was gonna die! You aren't weak, you hear?" Sora asked. Riku nodded, sitting up.

They were outside, on a little patch of grass underneath a tree. Sora was cradling Riku in his lap. Sora had informed their teacher of what was happening, and they had been excused from classes.

"I wish I was strong, like you Sora…" Riku whispered hoarsely. Sora stiffened. Strong like me? I'm not strong… If I was then I'd finally report our father to the police and get Selphie out of there… But I'm not, I'm scared…

"I'm not strong. I run from my problems instead of facing them. They end up hurting more in the long run but I never have the courage to face them head on… I guess that's why I never really get over things…" Sora mused. Riku chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Sora," He replied. Smirking, Sora brushed some of Riku's hair out of his eyes. He opened his mouth, hoping to tell Riku how much he cared, but the words wouldn't come.

I've spent so much time running, I can't face him. I don't have the courage…

"Don't worry too much, enjoy what time you have…" Sora said finally. That hadn't been what he had wanted to say, he was sure that Riku knew that too, but he was glad that the subject wasn't pressed.

"I wonder where Cloud is?" Riku suddenly asked. Sora smirked.

"His mom let him have the day off to make out with your brother. I didn't realise why at the time, then it hit me, Leon must be going through hell too. Cloud's mom must have suspected that Leon was going to shut himself away and sent Cloud round so he wouldn't brood too much…" Sora waffled, glad to talk about something, anything. Riku stood up, dusting himself off.

He already looked slightly better, as though he had a huge burden lifted off him.

"Thank you Sora. You're the best friend I could ever have…"

Friend…

666 

Cloud sighed. He was getting a little bored. Sure, Leon and him were pretty equal, but that meant that the battles lasted a little too long and Cloud's thumbs were hurting like hell.

"You hungry?" Leon asked. Cloud shook his head, climbing onto Leon's bed. He briefly remembered the last time he had been on Leon's bed, and blushed. He wouldn't mind doing that right now…

"Get comfortable," Leon remarked as Cloud made a little nest of pillows and quilts. The blonde stuck his tongue out and closed his eyes, leaning back into the quilts. It was so warm and comfy, and it all smelt like Leon…

Flash

"Huh?" Cloud blinked, looking at Leon, who had a digital camera. "Hey!" He protested as Leon put the camera down on the desk.

"I hope you're not planning to use that as blackmail material… I'm not very photogenic…" Cloud muttered. Leon made a sound that sounded rather like a snort.

"You're kidding me. Cloud, you could be a model you're so…" Leon cleared his throat, sitting down on the bed.

"So?" Cloud prompted. Go on, say it… Say whatever it is you've started!

"So beautiful…" Leon finished his sentence hesitantly. Cloud looked at him, his large blue eyes shining. Beautiful? I could get used to being called that once in a while…

"Eh? Beautiful? First time I've been called that…" Go on, compliment me further, heh heh heh…

"Stop fishing," Leon warned. Cloud grinned guiltily and moved from his nest. He hesitantly reached out. He was surprised when Leon turned into his embrace. He heard the slightly startled gasp as the brunet realised that Cloud's arms were wrapped around his waist, then with a thrill, he felt Leon's arms wrap around him in return.

"You really are beautiful you know…" Leon whispered into the blonde's hair. There was silence for a while.

"I missed you…" Cloud said finally. "I felt like I was dead. I couldn't feel anything… Sora snapped me out of it… When he came to be so upset I realised what a jerk I was being and went to you to apologise…"

"It wasn't your place to…" Leon said. Cloud could tell that the brunet was actually quite touched by the fact his voice had broken slightly. Cloud pulled out of the embrace but the closeness was still there.

A thousand unspoken confessions passed between the two in silence, until eventually Cloud couldn't bear it anymore. He had to say it, aloud, so there could be no doubt in his mind.

"I love you," He whispered. Leon's eyes widened, and the storm grey depths echoed a great joy. A smile passed across his features, and Cloud imprinted this moment to his memory. Leon's smiles were so few, that each one was a gem…

"That was terribly cliché of you Cloud," Leon commented. Cloud smiled, feeling Leon's arms wrap around him more securely.

"I know, but you can't say that those three words aren't the best words you could have heard today," He joked. He felt Leon's cheek pressed against his neck and Cloud began to gently stroke Leon's long hair.

"I guess it's my turn…" Leon said sheepishly, pulling away and taking Cloud's hands. Cloud held his breath without meaning to.

"This is harder than I thought it would be…" Leon chuckled, and Cloud noticed his palms were sweaty.

"Don't say it if you don't want to. I don't mind, I know that you care at least…" Cloud whispered. Don't say it if you don't mean it. Don't break me that way… Please…

"I do want to, I'm just trying to avoid that damn cliché! Let's see… This is slightly weird but… if I were to say to you that… I… What the fuck, I can't avoid the bloody cliché!" Leon erupted. Cloud chuckled, hardly romantic, but it was… right somehow…

"I love you," Leon, no, Squall, replied in a softer voice. Cloud felt his eyes fill with tears, and he immediately pounced.

He felt Squall struggle for balance, but soon they were lost in the nirvana of the other's kiss. If Heaven has a name, it's Squall…

He felt Squall's hands roam over his body, caressing the muscles that Cloud was so proud of. He himself barely knew what his hands were doing, his head was so filled with fluff at that moment, he had a sneaking suspicion that they were somewhere along the waistband of Squall's pants.

"I love you," He heard Squall murmuring over and over. To say he was so reluctant to say it earlier, he's doting on you now…

Cloud became aware that somehow, their hips had crushed together, in all the passion, all the sweet nothings being whispered in his ear, all the excitement, Cloud didn't notice someone stood at the door.

666 

Squall pulled away, breathless. He saw Cloud's half-lidded, swollen-lipped face and knew the blonde had been just as caught up in it as he had been. However, he was keen to prove to Cloud he wasn't just after the sex, therefore, no sex on the first… er… whatever it was…

"Sorry to interrupt, boys, but I was wondering if you'd bother to eat anything? Although to be honest, I think you've been eating each other enough to last you until next week," Eva said calmly. He heard Cloud squeak and look up at his mom, hiding behind Squall a little.

"Oh for God's sake Cloud! Why the hell do you think I sent you round here? So you two would finally get on with it and get rid of all those angsty teen hormones so Leon's mind is put to rest on at least one of his worries," Eva scolded playfully. Squall smirked, wrapping his arm around the blonde possessively.

"Are you hungry?" Squall asked. Cloud thought for a moment, then an embarrassed smile formed on his lips.

"Er, not really…" He replied. Eva folded her arms.

"I'll leave the sandwiches downstairs, help yourselves if you get fed up of each other," Eva walked away. Squall turned to Cloud, placing a gentle kiss on his nose.

"Get fed up of you? No chance… Not when you do that lip nibbling thing…" Squall whispered against his mouth. Cloud chuckled.

"I was unsure whether you liked it," The blonde admitted. Squall pulled him close, so their bodies were intertwined, almost locked together. Cloud had to admit, he liked the comfort of being so close physically.

"Thank you for coming over Cloud…" Leon whispered. Cloud snuggled closer.

"Glad I could be of some comfort…"

666 

Sora and Riku spent their entire day wandering around the grounds. Riku told Sora everything, everything he could remember about his life, all his feelings, his emotions everything…

Except the one thing that Sora longed to hear… that Riku liked him back.

In fact, although Riku spoke of past lovers, he didn't mention having any lovers since moving to the island.

"Whoa… Makes me feel a little too innocent…" Sora pouted. Riku chuckled.

"What, you've never been sucked off?" Riku teased. Sora felt a blush spread up his cheeks.

"I didn't say that…" He protested. Riku looked shocked. Actually, he looked like he'd just seen Sora spontaneously combust. Which was highly possible when Sora realised how hot his face was becoming.

"Details," Riku demanded. Sora laughed.

"Er, which one?" He asked. Riku seemed about to explode with surprise.

"Be gone evil demon! What have you done with Sora?" He said dramatically. Sora sighed.

"Oh c'mon, it was just things that happened at parties. I get horny when I'm drunk, as you know," Sora glanced at Riku to see a slight blush on the boy's cheeks.

You are looking for a moment to tell him… NOW would be a good time!

"Riku, I-"

"Sora, I-"

"You first," Sora said quickly. Riku nodded.

"Sora, I'm afraid… I don't want my mom to die. When she does I'll have to live with Sephiroth and Aerith. Sure, their house is big enough, but I don't think Leon will be comfortable living there with them…" Riku said. Not what I wanted to hear…

"Well… Leon could always stay with Cloud or something…" Sora suggested. Riku sighed.

"I know that this sounds weird but… I don't want him to leave me alone with them… I hate being alone Sora, you have no idea… All the lovers I've had, I took them to my bed looking for acceptance and the hope that one of them might be the one I'd been meant to find… I gave up looking… No I just look back and realise I'd been nothing better than a whore…" Riku whispered. Sora took a deep breath.

"You're not a whore, Riku… You want what we all want… Someone who loves us," The brunet couldn't meet his eyes. Someone like me…

"When I was little, I used to snatch all the love and attention from my mom. Leon was always left in the background, while I snatched away all the attention… I never grew out of the love of it… Even when I moved here… You saw the way I wrenched all the attention away from you…" Riku whispered. Sora frowned.

"But you don't do it anymore… Why?" The blue eyed boy asked. Riku met his eyes.

"I have all the attention I need… It comes from you now…" Riku whispered. Unable to think of a reply to that, Sora just looked away. He knew that if he tried to tell Riku how he felt, it would end up backfiring, especially now… It would sound as though he were taking advantage…

"I'm… glad I'm of some use…" Sora whispered. He wasn't sure what else to say… He saw Riku grin.

"Yeah, that's all you're good for," He teased. Sora pouted, not only had his courage completely failed him, but he had ended up looking like an idiot… This day just got better and better…

666 

"I better be going…" Cloud said reluctantly. He and Leon had fallen asleep in the brunet's bed, cuddling and completely content… They had both awoken some time ago, but had kept quiet in the hope that they could stay like that longer. Cloud's sentence had been an unwanted interruption…

"Stay…" Leon pleaded, in a voice that made him sound like a child.

"You know I can't… It's best if I'm gone before Riku gets here… If you sent him to school, it would hardly be fitting for me to have come here and skive with your blessing…" Cloud whispered. Leon pouted and it was so utterly adorable that Cloud had to kiss him.

"Oh, c'mon, you knew I'd have to leave eventually…" The blonde tried to convince Leon into releasing him from the embrace. Leon just pulled him closer though, making Cloud chuckle.

"Am I going to have to fight you or something?" Cloud asked, trying to squirm out of Leon's hold. The brunet chuckled, drawing him closer as though Cloud's efforts were like that of a kitten.

"Argh, Leon! I need to breathe!" Cloud complained. The brunet released him suddenly, and Cloud fell off the bed, glaring up at Leon angrily.

"Cute…" A familiar voice said from the doorway. The two in the room looked up to see Riku smirking in the doorway. He didn't look too well, but behind him Sora was stood, chuckling.

"What are you doing home?" Leon demanded. Cloud looked at the clock, realising they were home a good half-hour early.

"We could ask similar questions," Sora said, looking at Cloud. The blonde grinned.

"What am I doing here? Flirting shamelessly, that's what!" He smiled. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Glad someone is taking this lightly," The silver haired boy drawled. Cloud sighed.

"Riku, I'm not taking this 'lightly' at all. What are you going to do, be a sourpuss for the next two months and shut yourself away? Is that what you're mother wants? For you to lock yourself up and be some wreck? You think she'll want you to stop living your life because she's not there? Riku, I know you're upset, but that's not the way to deal with it…" Cloud said, his voice was slightly low. Sora raised his eyebrows, Leon was watching Riku, and Riku just regarded Cloud with a glare that would have made rocks shy away.

"You don't know anything," Riku replied. Cloud shrugged.

"Maybe I don't," He replied simply. He got to his feet, giving Leon a quick kiss, and left. Riku waited for a while then rounded on his brother.

"Our mom is dying and you just make out with someone?!" Riku said, his voice strangely high-pitched.

"Cloud was right. You can't stop living your life because of mom. You don't have enough time… Cloud knew that, and when he heard what happened he came round because he knew I'd be upset. He offered me the only comfort he could give me, his love, and that's all I needed. I didn't need some attention-seeking kid-brother who thinks he's the only one who's going to miss mom having a go at me over how I live my life. Back off Riku, I'm not in the mood to play games with you right now," Leon growled, standing up and towering over Riku. Sora cleared his throat.

"Riku, Leon, perhaps you should both listen to each other's advice, yeah?" The brunet, who was the smallest there, was suddenly the centre of attention. He looked at his shoes.

"What I mean is… Leon, you should perhaps be a little more… subtle with your relationship with Cloud, because you can't possibly be feeling great at the moment and you're just using a mask with Cloud that he won't appreciate…" Sora sighed and faced Riku. "Riku… I think Cloud and Leon said enough…"

The two faced the brunet and then they nodded.

"I'll be more subtle if you pull your head out of your ass," Leon promised. Riku chuckled.

"That's a deal."

666 

Eva sat in the hospital ward, watching Amy's slow and steady breathing. The woman woke, smiling up at Eva, her new-found friend.

"Well?" Amy asked. Eva smiled at her fellow conspirator.

"Walked in on them making out…" She giggled. Amy grinned.

"I knew we were right… Do they look really cute together?" She asked. Eva nodded.

"They look right together. I've never seen Cloud so happy… Or Squall for that matter. They are perfect for each other…" Eva tucked her blonde hair behind her ears, before chewing on her lip. "However, Riku's making it difficult with the other pairing…"

"Yes, I know… He will be hard work for Sora. I have no doubt they both feel the same, but Riku gives off so many signals that, well, sometimes those who have known him like I do get confused. He's hard to read, hard to like and gets insanely depressed…" Amy sighed.

"I only hope he's okay… Sora will pull him through…" Amy's confidence in Sora's abilities to make people feel better made Eva smile. The brunet did have that kind of affect on people. She was sure that Riku wouldn't be able to stay around Sora and remain depressed forever…

"Amy, darling, you have nothing to worry about there…" Eva said, putting on a ridiculously posh accent. Amy grinned.

"Darling, I wasn't worrying, it's bad for the botox," They giggled like schoolgirls.

"Which one's Patsy and which one's Eddy?" Riku asked from the doorway, although he had only been there for the last two sentences. Leon chuckled.

"You're Saphy," He teased as they entered the room.

****

Ending Notes:

For those who haven't got a clue who Patsy, Eddy and Saphy are, they are characters from 'Absolutely Fabulous' which is one of the most brilliant British sitcoms ever, along with 'My Family' and 'The Vicar of Dibley'. (There are others but those are my favourites!)

Hope you liked this chapter, well, of course you did, there was 'action' as one of my reviewers put it… I'm sorry for making Riku seem evil in this, but it's how he'd react. He is very much an attention-seeking bitch in this, I'm sorry. His arrogance was just a plea for attention.

R&R


	18. Stranger Than Fiction

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Stranger Than Fiction

Chapter Eighteen:

Stranger Than Fiction

****

Author's Note:

_**BEING REWRITTEN AS OF 13/11/08!!!!! AND HOPEFULLY FINISHED OFF PROPERLY THIS TIME! When it's rewritten though, it might not resemble the original fic as much. Please check back regularly!**_

_Got over my writer's block, slightly… Anyhow, here's the next chapter. I'm overwhelmed by all this… I've decided what I'm going to do when this fic, and Heartagram too, is finished. I am going to write another Sora/Riku fic (YAY!) and I think that it's fairly original too…_

_Gomen, this chapter is crap. I've got serious writers block and have completely fallen into an anti-writing stupor. I plan to ease myself back into writing with some one shots however, mostly Gravitation ones but shrugs_

_RR _

_**Warning for violence**_

**Disclaimer:**

__

I don't own Kingdom Hearts nor any of the characters.

Sora felt the depression sinking in. He wasn't sure what he could do to pull himself out of it. He looked for Selphie, then remembered she'd said something about going to see Yuffie and create a dance routine to some song or other. Most likely 'Hella Good' by No Doubt, as it had been living in Selphie's CD player all week.

He sighed, before picking up his mobile phone and hesitantly highlighting the number listed as 'Bob'. He typed in the masking digits, 141, in front of his cell number to stop 'Bob' knowing it was him and hit the call button.

He had to know…

Riku rolled over from where he was lying down, staring at the ceiling. He picked up the phone absently, hitting the 'answer' button with little thought.

"Riku speaking," He said quietly. He heard a gasp on the other end of the line and it went dead. Frowning, he looked down at his phone in time to see 'Private Number' end the call.

Someone had called his private phone masking their number… Sora…

Panicking, Riku hurriedly picked up his phone, hoping to be able to explain. However all he got was the answer phone.

Sora must be really angry with him…

Sora jumped around the room, laughing giddily. It was so perfect and also so obvious! Riku was Bob, and had been from the beginning. He was the one who Sora had fallen in love with. He was the one who had wanted to know all about Sora…

He chuckled and forced himself to sit on his bed, forcing down the mirth. Him and Riku. Together… It was a fairy tale…

"Hey Sora!" Sakura bounded into the room. She was becoming more and more like Selphie by the day. Sora was quite glad that she had taken to hanging around with Selphie and Yuffie, it meant that he didn't have to entertain her constantly.

"Hiya Sakura!" He replied cheerily, greeting her with his usual kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

"Whoa, happy today!" She staggered backwards out of Sora's embrace, grinning despite herself.

"Yup, yup, yup!" He grinned and then sat down. Sakura followed him, shaking her head but still smiling.

"May I inquire as to why?" She asked. Sora shook his head, laughter still bubbling from his mouth.

"Guess," He answered. She rolled her eyes and curled up into a ball on Sora's bed, leaning her chin on her knees.

"I'm too tired for guessing games…" She said. Sora frowned, wondering what was wrong with her. Usually Sakura was bright and cheerful, now she was acting as though she was… heartbroken…

"What's the matter?" Sora asked. Sakura blinked, then sat forward, taking Sora's hand.

"I'm sorry Sora," She whispered, before pushing her lips against his own. Sora blinked as Sakura's face blurred in front of him. He was so shocked he just stared at her, before gently but firmly pushing her away.

"What the hell?" Sora fell backwards off his bed, landing with a crash. Sakura blinked at him with tear-filled eyes.

"This wasn't supposed to happen Sora. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you! You're just so gentle and kind and I'm always happier when I'm around you…" Sakura whispered. Sora couldn't believe he was hearing this. He came down from his happy state with a thud.

Sakura was in love with him. They were going to be married. He was going to break her heart.

"Please don't say anything Sora. I know that you see me as nothing more than a friend. I'm sorry…" She stood up and ran out of the room.

"That was pathetic…" Leon deadpanned, as Cloud's wooden Bo hit his side. The blonde ran his fingers through his hair, sending a tired smile the brunet's way.

"Sorry," He whispered. Leon was beside him instantly, an arm around his waist. They were in the field again, where they had first sparred, but Cloud wasn't doing too good. He seemed ill…

"Let's rest for a while," Leon suggested. Cloud let himself be lead to a fallen tree where they sat against it as back support. The blonde's arms encircled Leon's waist, and he laid his head on the brunet's chest.

"I'm so tired… Even though I had today off school…" Cloud yawned. Leon had gone to his house after Riku had disappeared into his room, only to be told he could find Cloud here.

"I think a seizure's coming on…" Cloud said suddenly. Leon looked down at the blonde, who seemed so reluctant to move.

"Should I walk you home?" He asked. Cloud looked up, his blue eyes were sleepy.

"Stay with me…" The blonde begged. Leon felt his throat tighten, as Cloud's eyes glazed over. How was he supposed to deal with this?

He saw Cloud's body go rigid, his eyes rolled upwards, his limbs twitched, and for twenty seconds, Leon was afraid to breathe. Then Cloud's body went limp, and he whimpered slightly.

When Leon looked down, he saw Cloud's face, he looked completely out of it, as though he were stoned. He mumbled something, idly picking at Leon's clothing then he blinked, and sat up.

"Whoa, my head…" He muttered rubbing it, and turning to Leon, who was just staring. He wasn't sure whether to admit to Cloud how much the blonde's seizures scared him. It was like losing him…

"You alright?" Cloud asked, noting Leon's pale pallor. The brunet chuckled.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?" He replied. Cloud shrugged, before stretching.

"Really sleepy now…" He mumbled. Leon drew his arms around Cloud, guiding the blonde's head to his chest. Cloud snuggled closer, glad for the comfort and handy pillow all at once.

"Then sleep. I'll wake you when we have to go," Leon replied, stroking the Cloud's golden hair.

He's like an angel fallen from heaven… An angel that can't keep up with the demands of mortality… But he's an angel none the less…

Leon smiled. Cloud was his angel…

"Sora, it's about time we sat down and talked about what is going to happen when you leave school," His father began. Sora frowned. He'd already decided what he was going to do.

He wanted to be a doctor, and he was determined to be one… It was either that or he would continue work on Kingdom Hearts (Sephiroth had mentioned a movie, computer game, manga and anime series. Sora couldn't wait to be involved!).

"Of course, your marriage to Sakura is imminent, and I presume you have chosen a date?" His mother asked. Sora shook his head, clenching his fists in his pockets. It was going to be one of those conversations where his parents talked and he listened…

"Well, of course, you will and you'll be married before your eighteenth," His father told him. Sora ground his teeth. He doubted Sakura would ever want to see him again after tonight…

"I hope that you will then produce a male heir to the Hikka legacy. Sakura can then be disposed of as you wish, though it is respectable to keep her and have a mistress," Hikka instructed, as though it were the most obvious thing. Sora felt his anger boil. His father was treating him and Sakura like pawns in a giant chess game.

"When I retire, at fifty, I expect you to step up and run the company for me. You will teach your son to follow in our footsteps from an early age-" Sora stood up, he had heard enough. He made to leave but when he got to the door, he felt his father's hand wrap around his arm.

"We are not finished talking," Hikka said. Sora turned to him.

"I think I have heard enough. I am not going to do as you say. I will not marry Sakura, I will not hurt her. I will not take over the family business and I will not let you arrange my life like I am a mere puppet," He seethed. He pulled his arm out of his father's grip.

"I will not stand by and let you rule over my life, and dictate to me what should make me happy. You can't possibly be my parents, you care nothing for me!" Sora yelled. His father hardened his expression.

"You will do as you are told!" George Hikka snapped. Sora pressed himself against the door, his hand frantically trying to grab the doorknob. He was afraid, that look in his father's eyes…

"I won't! I won't do it anymore! I'm not you! I'm me, Sora Hikka, the guy who is loved by everyone at school for being carefree and happy, and hates to be trapped within these four walls. Don't you see you're destroying me?" Sora demanded, tears overflowing. His father just stared at him for a second.

The door opened behind Sora and it broke the spell in the room. Hikka's rage was no longer contained, and his fists fell upon Sora, pounding him like soft clay. The brunet didn't cry out, but took his beating without a single yelp.

Selphie, Cid, Sephiroth and Aerith stood frozen at the doorway when George Hikka laid the final blow onto Sora, sending the boy onto the ground, blood dribbling from his mouth and nose.

Riku sighed, randomly picking a band from his playlist… He paused over Bad Religion's 'Stranger Than Fiction' album. He and Sora both liked that band, and had both loved the one song, from which the album got it's name.

To lift his depression, and to daydream of Sora, Riku pressed the play button, watching the pretty visualisations on the screen of his Media Player.

__

A feeble shocking violent smack the

Children are all hoping for a heart attack

Tonight the windows are watching

The streets all conspire

And the lamppost can't stop crying.

If I could fly high above the world

Would I see a bunch of living dots

Spell the word stupidity?

Or would I see hungry lover homicides,

Loving brother suicides

And olly olly oxenfrees, who pickaside and hide?

The world is scratching at my door.

My morning paper's got the scores.

The human interest stories.

And the obituary.

Cockroach napes, rattling traps,

How many devils can you fit upon a match head?

Caringosity killed the Kerouac cat

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

In my alley round the corner

There's a wino with feathered shoulders

And a spirit giving head for crack and he'll

Never want it back.

There's a little kid and his family eating

Crackers like thanksgiving

And a pack of wild desperadoes scornful of living.

The world is scratching at my door.

My morning paper's got the scores.

The human interest stories.

And the obituary.

Cradle for a cat, wolf looks back

How many angels can you fit upon a match?

I wanna know, why Hemingway cracked

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Life is the crummiest book I ever read

There isn't a hook just a lot of cheap shots

Pictures to shock and characters an

Amateur would never dream up.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

****

Ending Notes:

__

Aaaah! I know okay! cowers This chapter is no good, I know. It's crap and short and ugh but I was really desperate to finish it so this is the rushed job. I want to get to the end of this fic quickly, and this chapter was all about Sora standing up to his parents, which has happened. There is nothing else to add. Rant to someone else…

I feel obligated to tell anyone who has problems like Sora to tell anyone and everyone. Get the hell away. Don't be convinced that they love you, don't be convinced that you deserve it, no one deserves it. If it can happen to Sora, it can happen to anyone, right?

Also you may notice in the song lyrics, the last 'verse'. Some of you mentioned stereotypes. Well, now you know why. Life's full of characters that amateur writer's like myself pick out. Life is a fucking awful book, thing about all the sadistic jokes it plays on you, so know you know what this fic is based around, perhaps you understand it better? Or perhaps you are just wondering where all the light hearted fluff is? I'm depressing myself with this fic. Good day…

* * *

**GOMEN NASAI! GEEZ... I WILL BE UPDATING THIS I PROMISE. I'VE HAD WRITERS BLOCK FOR A LONG TIME... AND NOW MY COMPUTER (NOT MY LAPTOP... THE BIG CHUNKY THING THAT I WROTE STF ON) HAS BROKEN AND I NEED TO WAIT UNTIL I GET A WORKING MOUSE SO I CAN TRANSPORT IT TO MY LAPTOP TO FINISH THE MOST RECENT CHAPTER.**

**I would like to thank Slashapalooza ( I think that's the spelling) who wrote 'Love On A Rotten Day'. That fic got me interested in my own KH fics again... Expect updates before the end of summer... And Sand In My Shoes will also be updated...**

**GOMEN NASAI again..**


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